Meta is going all in on a consumer-friendly AI agent and pushing forward with AI-powered wearable devices during a moment in the industry when its CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged it is a “wild time to be building.”
At the company’s annual Connect conference on Wednesday, Zuckerberg opened his keynote address by saying “it’s no secret that people in the industry have a wide range of views about how the future is going to go.” But at Meta, he said, “we are optimists because we believe in people.”
Zuckerberg has distanced himself and Meta from recent calls by rival companies for a coordinated slowdown in the development of advanced artificial intelligence, arguing that individual labs can and should ensure their technology is safe.
“We believe that the best way to create a positive future for everyone is to put power in people’s hands,” he said at the conference. “We believe that empowering people is the source of prosperity in the world, that the highest purpose of superintelligence is creation and invention — not automation — and that the path to a safe future is to distribute this technology widely and create the right checks and balances, rather than concentrating it in the hands of just a few.”
Zuckerberg has long said he believes wearable AI will eventually replace smartphones as the primary way people interact with technology. At the conference, the company unveiled a slew of updates to its smart glasses and virtual reality goggles, which let people control their interface using their voice, eyes and hand and finger movements.
AI agent Muse is the ‘centerpiece’ of Meta’s vision
Zuckerberg said that Meta’s recently launched agent Muse is the “centerpiece” of Meta’s hopeful outlook for the future of AI.
Having an AI agent, which goes beyond chatbots in that it can act and perform tasks on a person’s behalf, has been a “sign of someone who is completely AI-pilled,” Meta’s chief AI officer Alexandr Wang said at the conference. With Muse, Wang said, Meta is making agents more accessible and bringing “personal superintelligence” to everyone.
With the help of a mascot for the agent that looks like a plush toy, Wang and senior leadership at Meta demonstrated different uses for the Muse in everyday life. Users will be able to have real-time voice conversations and video chats with their version of the agent, which can also be customized to look and sound unique. The agent can help users plan travel, book reservations, order groceries and complete other helpful tasks. Meta has partnered with companies like OpenTable, Spotify, Ticketmaster and more to help its agents complete these tasks.
The company is working to bring Muse to its AI glasses lineup for hands-free access.
Zuckerberg also said Meta is planning to release a keychain-like device that has the “whole Muse experience” packed into it, called Muse Charm, in time for the holidays in December. The palm-sized device will allow users to engage with a personal AI agent without using a phone, computer or smart glasses.
New AI audio glasses and new updates to popular models
Meta is launching an audio version of its more widely known smart glasses. The new product will let users listen to music, make calls and talk with an AI assistant — there’s just no screen, and no video recording, which has raised privacy concerns with some users recording people without permission. Called Ray-Ban Meta Audio, it will be available in October and the cost starts at $349.
Meta is also building upon a previous feature that allowed glasses wearers to better hear a conversation in a noisy environment. Now, Zuckerberg said, a feature called hearing enhancement turns your glasses into an “FDA-cleared, over-the-counter hearing aid” that can “compensate for perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.” The feature will launch in the U.S. later this year and will be available to add to supported AI glasses for $150, or with a Meta One subscription.
The Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses have been upgraded with new features, including improved cycling and transit navigation and a personalized hologram for video calls.
The company is also offering more styles to appeal to a broader range of people and says it will have more than 100 different options across its Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Meta Glasses by the end of the year. The glasses will also be available in more countries, including Turkey, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
The newest generation of the classic Ray-Ban Meta glasses is also now available, with what the company touts as a slimmer, sleeker design and increased battery life, among other upgrades. The Generation 3 models are available now with prices starting at $449.
Virtual reality gets a makeover with Meta VR
Glasses
The most drastic update announced at the conference is to the company’s VR device, now called Meta VR Glasses. That is because the previous bulky headset has been replaced by a set of glasses, which weigh about 3.5 ounces, or roughly as much as a deck of cards. In comparison, the Meta Quest 3, which launched in 2023, weighs about five times that much. The difference feels similar to that between scuba diving and swimming goggles.
While they are significantly lighter and more sleek than VR predecessors, the glasses require a wired connection to an external puck for battery, storage and compute.
Instead of controllers or a neural wristband that past headsets or glasses required, the VR glasses use an eye-tracking camera and sensor that essentially lets your eyes be the computer cursor and your fingers the mouse clicker. If you want to open an app, for instance, you look at it and use hand and finger gestures, or use voice commands to talk to the Meta AI agent.
In a demo at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters on Tuesday, Meta showed off entertainment and work offerings on the glasses, including sports events and concerts that replicate the experience of having courtside or front-row seats. A new feature called “VR Enhanced Cinema,” meanwhile, seeks to immerse viewers in the movie by transforming their surroundings beyond the screen into a virtual world inspired by the movie, with dynamic effects, 3D visuals and spatial audio.
Once the glasses launch, users will have access to more than 100 immersive live sports events from that courtside-like view, because of partnerships with ESPN, MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports and UFC. The glasses can also function as a gaming console, Meta said, and there will be more than 75 games at launch that users can play solely with hand gestures.
The glasses can also be used for work. Users can conjure a virtual keyboard on any flat surface and use the display as their computer screen (or several screens) only they can see. For even more of a robust setup, users will be able to connect their Mac or Windows PC to seamlessly transition onto these screens, and bring their own keyboard and mouse. The VR glasses, unlike headsets of the past, will let wearers see their desk setup and surroundings while they work.
One of Zuckerberg’s live demos of the night also showed off the glasses’ ability to use hologram technology to project a photorealistic digital version of a person, including their real-time expressions and reactions, for hands-free video calling.
The VR glasses will launch in the spring of 2027 and cost $1,300.
A Capitola woman says she fought off a sea lion that attacked her on Tuesday.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. between Capitola Warf and Privates Beach by Pleasure Point. A video captured via a streaming camera on the website Surfline shows the moment Heather Gray was knocked into the water.
“I was like what what’s happening it was like a horror movie,” Gray said. “The thing that was the most bizarre was that it grabbed my hair.”
She says about five minutes later, she got upright and paddled away as fast as she could while the mammal trailed her for a little.
“We’re so used to seeing them we get really comfortable with them, and I knew this wasn’t really like normal,” Gray said.
Gray said she has been on these waters for decades and never had a sea lion charge at her. She had to get tetanus and rabies shots for bites on her hands, feet and arms.
“I know that there’s a lot of sea lions that are sick right now, so my first thought was ‘Oh my gosh this was one of these sick sea lions’,” she said.
A growing number of California sea lions are suffering from domoic acid, a naturally occurring disease linked to toxins that build up in fish and shellfish they eat.
The Marine Mammal Center says it can’t confirm if it was a sea lion that attacked Gray, and also says there’s no way to know if domoic acid is what caused this animal to be aggressive since it wasn’t examined.
The center added sea lion bites are uncommon. In a statement, a spokesperson said in part:
“Some of these animals may be sick or injured, others may be curious, others pursuing nearby food resources but because we aren’t able to follow the animals. We can’t conclude why an animal may have interacted with a given swimmer, surfer etc.”
Researchers are working to try to figure out what’s causing the spike in sick animals, including if it has anything to do with climate change.
“Water temperatures are running above average, although it’s not near record territory at this point, it’s still certainly warmer than average,” said Lee Solomon, Gray’s friend and meteorologist for an independent platform that covers the Central Coast. “We don’t know if it’s causation or correlation but it’s certainly happening at the same time.”
Gray says this ordeal won’t keep her out of the water.
“I’m not scared to go back out there but I kind of want this some of this domoic acid and red tide stuff to clear,” she said.
In granting a 14-day temporary restraining order reinstating the outlets’ access while their legal challenge proceeds, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly wrote that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their lawsuit against the administration, at least on the grounds that their credentials were revoked without due process.
Trump, he wrote, did not dispute that the outlets “did not receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before their hard passes were revoked.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for overnight comment from NBC News.
“This is a strong ruling vindicating freedom of the press, due process and the rule of law. We greatly appreciate the court’s swift action,” the attorney representing CNN, Politico and MS NOW, Ted Boutrous, said in a statement.
Trump had posted on social media before a Wednesday hearing in the case that he expected the “totally disloyal” Kelly, whom he nominated to the bench during his first term, to rule against him — adding that “as usual, we’ll go for appeal.”
Trump announced the ban in a post on Truth Social on Friday, and said it was “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow,” he said.
Thursday’s order rejected the White House’s argument that banning the outlets was motivated by national security concerns.
“Certainly, that is not what President Trump said when he announced that he was ‘banning’ Plaintiffs from the White House — instead, he focused on the alleged lack of truthfulness and negativity of Plaintiffs’ reporting,” Kelly wrote.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office a short time after the post, Trump referred to his directive as “the ban on the free press.”
“I don’t want them in my office. I don’t want them here,” he said.
He said the policy was not in response to a particular report, but because of “cumulative stories over the last few years.”
“They purposely write negative news. And they do that because they want to try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration,” he said. “If they could straighten themselves out, I’d love it,” he added.
The outlets said in their suit challenging the ban that Trump’s remarks show the policy was motivated by “retaliation” and “intended to cow” the outlets “into changing their reporting and threaten other journalists lest they suffer the same fate.”
The “Constitution does not allow a president or any other government official to deprive the press of their First Amendment rights and liberty and property interests with no notice or process based solely on that official’s dislike of the content of their reporting. The ban is patently unconstitutional and should be immediately restrained,” they argued.
The White House appeared to be trying to address those due process claims in letters to the news outlets on Tuesday, which told them they could “contest this initial decision” in written responses by Friday.
The letters accuse them of publishing “sensitive security information, and misinformation” which “undermines the President’s ability to safeguard the national security.”
They cited specific articles about munitions stockpiles impacted by the Iran war and sanctions against Russia, but also one about a request for $1 billion in funding for East Wing renovations that the president had said would be fully funded by donors, and another about negative “vibes” at the recent Republican midterm convention.
The letters also allege the organizations have “exhibited behavior in violation of the standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex.”
Trump made a similar argument in a Truth Social post Monday.
“It is called the Oval Office, and it should be treated with Decorum, Respect, and Dignity, not defiled by Third Rate Clowns, who purposefully distort, twist, and degrade with everything they write or publish,” he wrote.
NBC News previously reported that Trump’s Friday announcement caught a number of high-level White House aides off guard. A senior White House official defended the move to NBC News earlier this week, saying, “Nobody close to the President was surprised at his action to hold the fake news accountable.”
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the White House Correspondents’ Association and a group of 49 news and media organizations — including NBCUniversal Media LLC, the parent company of NBC News — filed a legal brief in the case Wednesday backing the three outlets.
The filing said the president’s stated reasons for the ban “are transparently viewpoint discriminatory” and “inconsistent with the First Amendment.”
“The ban at issue in this case does exactly what longstanding D.C. Circuit precedent” has said the government can’t do, the filing said — “prohibited three news organizations from access to the entirety of the White House and its grounds due to the content of their reporting.”
It also clashes, the filing said, “with bedrock Supreme Court precedent, which recognizes that ‘even though a person has no ‘right’ to a valuable governmental benefit,’ the government ‘may not deny a benefit to a person on a basis that infringes his constitutionally protected interests — especially, his interest in freedom of speech.’”
Authorities said they are searching for a missing person in the water in Antioch Wednesday.
Contra Costa Fire said they were dispatched to a report of a person in the water at around 6:16 p.m. at 1 Marina Plz in Antioch. Crews arrived on boats and rescued one person, who was then taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities said there were reports of another person still in the water. Just before 10:30 p.m., the Coast Guard confirmed to NBC Bay Area the search is ongoing for the missing person.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The San Francisco Fire Department is responding to a fire at Buena Vista Park Wednesday night. No injuries have been reported at this time. According to SFFD, the fire is 100 feet by 100 feet. Officials said some trees in the park are apparently on fire. Several crews are on the [...]
Some recorded calls that are part of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao federal corruption case were released.
The feds secretly recorded these calls. One of the calls released on Wednesday goes back to 2019, when Thao was a councilmember.
During the call, she told Oakland’s recycling company Co-Owner Andy Doung they needed to prepare better before the next council meeting if they wanted to get his recycling contract with the city extended.
She says several other council members have concerns about the cost, and other issues that Duong wasn’t prepared for at the previous meetings. Later in that call, Thao and Duong discuss where their teams can meet for lunch the next day before the council meeting, where they won’t be spotted.
Thao was indicted early last year on six counts of conspiracy, bribery and fraud. She is accused of scheming with the owners of Oakland’s recycling company to help get her elected mayor and to get her boyfriend paid.
In exchange, she would help extend the company’s recycling contract and steer more city business their way.
NBC Bay Area reached out to Thao’s attorney but hasn’t heard back.
All four people charged in the indictment, Thao, her partner Andre Jones, David and Andy Duong have pled not guilty. Their federal trial is scheduled to begin in mid-October.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry visited Madison Park Primary School in Oakland to read to students and speak with them about eye health. During the visit, Curry distributed copies of his children's book, “Eye on the Ball,” which centers on a boy battling a vision disorder. Curry has personal experience [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Since opening its first brick-and-mortar shop in 2023, Butter & Crumble has been one of the most hyped bakeries in San Francisco. Lines wrap around the North Beach bakery, especially on weekend mornings. Even in the rain and cold, customers lined up for hours across several blocks. Butter & Crumble announced plans in [...]
(KRON) -- A 32-year-old San Francisco resident was arrested in connection with a San Bruno stabbing Tuesday, according to police. The San Bruno Police Department said officers responded at approximately 1:05 p.m. to the 700 block of Kains Avenue regarding a reported stabbing. "Officers arrived and located the victim, who was being assisted by a [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco has done a lot to re-energize the downtown area. Among other things, it helped launch a program to fill vacant properties with vibrant pop-up businesses. However, after a period of time, those pop-ups must negotiate a lease with the property owner at market rent. So far, 57% of the [...]
Zubayir Kazi, 24, says he knew he was taking on a serious challenge when he decided to climb Mount Shasta. What he didn’t expect were the conditions he encountered on the way up, or what would happen on the way down.
“I was woken up to the entire cabin buzzing for the helicopter that was landing… and I thought, they couldn’t be here for me, could they?” Kazi said.
Just hours earlier, Kazi was alone on Mount Shasta. It was hist first icy summit and his fitst actual climb.
Five days before the climb, he hiked part of the trail to get a better understanding of how conditions would be like.
He says he felt prepared, but on Sept. 10, the day of the climb, he says, “It turned out to be much worse than I expected.”
Kazi says he started early in the morning, finally reaching the summit around 7:30 p.m. He texted friends, warning them just how difficult the climb had been.
Shortly after summitting, he began his treacherous descent.
“Everything I had with me just goes out of my hand and I find myself flying down the mountain,” he said.
He had no food, water, phone, light nor a way to call for help.
“My mentality became very one dimensional. I don’t know what’s the optimal thing to do, but I just know that I have to go lower because if I stay here and fall asleep, I’m going to die,” Kazi said.
Meanwhile, back home in San Jose, his friend Abdullah was getting worried.
“His mother reached out to me concerned, like ‘he went on a mountain, do you know if he’s OK?’,” Abdullah said.
Hours passed and Abdullah had not heard anything from Kazi. That’s when rescued teams were called.
Search and Rescue Crews started a missing person’s search when, thankfully, word came that Kazi had somehow managed to make it to base camp.
He was found by another climber, who helped provide him with food and water until help arrived.
“When the officers came in, it was the first time I really realized how badly I was injured. They said ‘You have no skin behind your leg’,” Kazi said.
Kazi suffered significant skin and nerve damage — and serious internal complications from the 500-foot slide and his decision to literally crawl off the mountain.
Doctors told him he could have died within hours.
The U.S. Forest Service says the route Kazi took is not recommended this time of year, especially for novice climbers.
They say conditions on Mount Shasta can change quickly and an accident can happen even when a climber thinks they’re prepared.
Kazi says the experience has changed the way he looks at mountain climbing and has a message for anyone thinking about a similar adventure.
“It is very important to fully and properly account for all of the requirements and safety considerations necessary to complete a hike like this and not miss a single one — and I’d say to definitely not go alone,” Kazi said.
Kazi says it’ll take weeks to recover from his injuries. He says he’s grateful for the people who helped get him off the mountain and for the chance to tell this story.
His story also serves as a great reminder to never hike alone and to always come prepared.
(KRON) -- A billionaire-led political action committee has raised nearly a quarter of a billion dollars ahead of California’s 2026 midterm election. Building a Better California was co-founded in early 2026 by Google co-founder Sergey Brin and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. According to its policy page, the PAC “support[s] policies that will improve the [...]
Bay Area tech CEOs and politicians spoke out about their concerns and hopes for AI on Wednesday as President Donald Trump prepares to host Chinese President Xi Jinping.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke in front of the United Nations Security Council, asking for companies, and countries, to work together when it comes to determining AI’s future.
“If AI is to be democratic, the most important decisions cannot be made by labs in San Francisco alone, they must be shaped by democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people that they serve,” he said.
As the U.S. and China get together to talk about, among other things, artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley Representative Ro Khanna also spoke out, asking other AI CEOs what they think needs to happen to keep people safe.
“The stakes are too high for America. If humans lose control over AI, it’s game over,” he said.
“Organizations need visibility as to where AI is being used, what it can access, who owns it, what decisions it can make, and what happens when it fails,” EqualAI CEO Miriam Vogel said.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei also spoke to the U.N. Security Council regarding the need for unity and safety.
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- UC San Francisco healthcare workers rallied to raise safety concerns about security on site nine months after a social worker was stabbed to death at the hospital. Hand in hand, UCSF healthcare workers held an honorary vigil for their former colleague, social worker Alberto Rangel, nine months after he was stabbed [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Two mountain-dwelling marmots who mysteriously appeared in the cities of San Francisco and Antioch earlier this month are now back in the wilderness near Lake Tahoe. The marmots spent 18 days rehabilitating at Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue before they were ready to return to their natural alpine habitat. YUWR's team released [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The San Francisco Bay Ferry will be scaling back service to cut fuel costs by cutting one mid-day trip. Starting in November, the ferry service will be eliminating a single midday Northbound trip to Vallejo, the ferry service told KRON4. The trip, which SF Bay Ferry says is low ridership, is [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A geyser of water erupted on King Street in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon -- not far from Oracle Park -- after a car crashed into a fire hydrant. Video from the Citizen app showed the water spouting high into the air as San Francisco Fire Department personnel responded. The San Francisco [...]
When barber Ruben De Avila Jr. isn’t cutting hair in his Concord barbershop, there’s a good chance he’s cutting a blues riff on a stage somewhere.
The second-generation barber — owner of V.I.P. Barbershop — has a second life as a blues guitarist, transforming into Jr. De Ville when he slips on his Fender Stratocaster and fronts his longtime band. To him, there’s a logical connection between the stage and the barber chair.
“People choose to go to a show for their personal pleasure,” De Avila said as he snipped a customer’s hair. “And I think for barbering it’s the same thing.”
De Avila has plucked almost as long as he’s cut hair. His father, Ruben De Avila Sr. has his own barbershop in Concord, and his son started cutting hair when he was fourteen years old. In high school, the football team would line-up outside the family garage on game days as De Avila Jr. trimmed and snipped the players’ hair into prime game shape.
“I tried not to get into barbering after high school,” he said, “but all my friends were like, ’Why? What are you doing? You’re good at it.’”
His twin passions were born about the same time. He was 16 when his musician grandfather first taught De Avila to play guitar. Then came the thunderbolt of hearing Jimi Hendrix for the first time, as well as Carlos Santana, who like De Avila, grew up in San Francisco.
Ruben De Avila works as a barber during the day, and as a blues musician at night — performing under the name Jr. De Ville.
“There is a big influence of his in my playing,” De Avila said, flanked by the Gibson Les Paul hanging in his shop. “Just what he put into that music and the feeling he has.”
De Avila discovered the pillars of the blues — B.B. King, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and Freddy King, which took him down his musical path of the blues.
“Everybody’s gone through heartbreak and the blues is something I think every single person can relate to,” he said. “Just the soul that comes out of that music is what drove me to play it.”
Like the old blues legend, De Avila eventually came to a crossroads. Should he pursue a career in music, or barbering?
He graduated from cutting hair in the garage, to attending barber college, to a chair in his father’s Concord barbershop where he spent the next nine years. He cut hair in the day, and played the blues at night. After that, he went out on his own and started V.I.P. Barbershop.
“I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else,” he said, which could apply to both music and barbering. “I’ve been doing it so long.”
Culture also played a big role De Avila’s upbringing. His father is Mexican-American and his mother Nicaraguan-American. His grandmother had a hair salon in San Francisco’s Mission District — where his hero Santana grew up.
The heritage, and occupation that was handed-down to him has also trickled down to another generation. His son Ruben “Bubba” De Avila cuts hair in V.I.P. Barbershop and De Avila beamed as he watched his son cut hair.
“It’s surreal having my son do the same thing as me and keep the family tradition going,” De Avila said.
On a recent evening, Jr. De Ville was decked out in black jeans and t-shirt as he strapped on his guitar and took to the stage of the Marquee Club in Vallejo’s Empress Theater. His crack band launched into a blistering rocker as the packed room began to bob and gyrate to the smoky blues. A few tunes later, De Avila wrenched the strings and emotion from his Stratocaster in a slow blues burner, tilting back his head as his guitar whined and soared. He started the band in 1997.
“Once I hit that stage I get lost,” he said. “I literally get lost in it and I leave this world for a little while.”
He returns to earth the next day as he heads to his barbershop, which is decorated like a vintage blues club — inspired by a trip to the blues Mecca of Memphis. The barbershop banter is steady as he his fellow barbers and customers brush through the usual topics of football, travel and food. He laughs easily as another customer slides into his chair.
“People come here, this is their getaway,” De Avila said, tying an apron to his customer. “Music is my getaway.”
Saying President Donald Trump has abdicated his responsibilities on climate change, California Gov. Gavin Newsom met with world and business leaders Wednesday to advance climate action and clean energy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
State and local governments are leading, he said, as “Trump is trying to recreate the 19th century” by reopening coal plants, announcing new plans for oil drilling including off California, and centering his energy policy on fossil fuels that cause climate change.
“He’s doubling down on stupid, and he’s putting the American economy at risk,” Newsom said in an interview. He called Trump the most destructive environmental president in American history and “an invasive species.”
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers used Trump’s derogatory nickname for the governor, “Newscum,” in responding to the comments. She said his “doubling down on Biden’s unpopular, unreliable and costly Green New Scam is stupid.”
“No one is surprised to see him whining about the climate change hoax at another conference instead of fixing the problems plaguing his state: out-of-control crime, the highest homeless population in the United States, and wildfire victims still waiting on state permits to rebuild their homes and businesses,” Taylor wrote in an email.
Newsom has long been trying to counter Trump’s climate approach
Newsom, a Democrat eyeing a 2028 presidential run, has sought to counter Trump’s stance on climate issues before. He went to the U.N. climate talks hosted in Belem, Brazil in 2025 when Trump skipped it.
Trump prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity. The Biden administration sought to ramp up clean energy as a climate change solution. Trump began reversing U.S. energy policies his first day back in office.
Last year at the UN, Trump called climate change the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” He has hindered renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, while China and other countries invest heavily. China leads the world in adding wind and solar power, though it also added a lot of coal power last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his state visit to Washington Wednesday. As the economic and technological competition between the countries escalates, Newsom said the Chinese leader is “cleaning our clock from an economic perspective.”
Trump and Xi are expected to discuss artificial intelligence as they meet this week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. has proposed a new “ notification mechanism ” for AI incidents that could affect national security.
Newsom also not happy with Trump AI stance
Newsom was critical of Trump for not doing more to add guardrails and instead listening to advice to let artificial intelligence “rip.” Newsom announced Wednesday a group of experts who will advise on oversight recommendations in California, including advancing the creation of a potential “kill switch” for rogue frontier models.
Trump was in New York on Tuesday. Unlike last year’s climate-focused speech, Trump defended his actions against Iran as he spoke at the U.N. General Assembly and made the diplomatic rounds.
Newsom spoke at the United Nations on Wednesday alongside mayors grappling with the impacts of climate change and calling for collective action. He shared how the state is using renewables to change the way it produces and consumes energy, while reducing carbon pollution. While in New York, he also signed a new agreement with Spain’s prime minister to strengthen collaboration on clean energy and climate issues and announced progress to link carbon markets with Washington state.
“California is not going to sit back and watch this guy roll back the last half century. We’re going to lead the next great revolution,” Newsom said.
“We’re going to dominate and we’re going to out compete and we are going to prepare the economy,” he said, “not just in California, but the rest of the nation, for the fierce competitive fight against China as we move forward in this space.”
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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
(KRON) -- A San Francisco jury has convicted a 37-year-old man of driving under the influence after prosecutors say he crashed on the Bay Bridge near the Yerba Buena Tunnel. Chi Chung Stephen Cho was convicted of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol content level of 0.08% or higher, according to [...]
(KRON) -- The Fremont Police Department is investigating the city's 10th fatal traffic collision of the year after a vehicle crash killed a motorcyclist on Wednesday. FPD said officers responded just before 1:40 p.m. a report of a major injury collision involving a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle at the intersection of Hastings and Keats [...]
(KRON) -- One of China’s largest tea chains is making its way to the Bay Area. Chagee Modern Teahouse is opening its first location in the region this winter, a company representative confirmed to KRON4. Chagee plans to open two Bay Area shops around the same time. One will be at the Stonestown Galleria mall [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco's celebrity Steller sea lion, named Chonkers, has left the docks of Pier 39. Now there's a new heavyweight in the city. A colony of noisy California sea lions gathers daily to sunbathe and rest on the pier’s K-Dock. Steller sea lions are less common. Earlier this year, Chonkers took [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Fire crews and California State Parks are continuing with a prescribed burn on Angel Island this week. As of Wednesday afternoon, smoke is visible, and people in San Francisco can smell the smoke. The prescribed burn for Wednesday was completed at 2:15 p.m., according to Cal Fire. The prescribed burn on [...]
(KRON) -- An East Bay high school has issued a clarification after it announced it would be suspending its varsity football program this season for safety concerns. On Wednesday, Mt. Diablo High School Varsity Football Coach Fetuao Mua announced that "due to safety concerns," the school would be discontinuing the program for the remainder of [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- An AI insurance startup known for hiring attractive women has reportedly pulled the plug on plans to open 100 24-hour cafes in San Francisco. Corgi, a buzzy startup that provides insurance to venture-backed AI startups, has been generating buzz with plans to open dozens of 24-hour Corgi Cafes in the U.S. [...]
A prescribed burn on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay wrapped up for the day Wednesday afternoon after sending smoke into the air that could be seen elsewhere around the region.
Cal Fire, the Marin County Fire Department and California State Parks on Sept. 8 began a planned burn of 260 acres at Angel Island State Park but paused it because of weather conditions after burning about 62 acres.
Another period with favorable weather conditions opened up Wednesday and an additional 85 acres were treated before burning stopped at about 2:15 p.m., according to Naftali Moed from California State Parks.
No more burning is planned for the remainder of this week, and firefighters will look for another time in the near future to finish the remaining 100-plus acres of the planned burn, Moed said.
Angel Island is the largest island in San Francisco Bay and is home to a shuttered immigration station and other historic sites, as well as park campsites and other facilities.
Smoke coming from the island could be seen elsewhere around the Bay on Wednesday. The cities of Richmond and San Pablo each sent out alerts notifying residents of the planned burn because smoke was visible from the East Bay.
In a video shared by Cal Fire, Division Chief Sean Jerry from the agency’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa unit said the burn is meant to “prevent future catastrophic fires on the island.”
Marin County Fire Division Chief Graham Groneman said in the video that getting rid of dry vegetation and other fuel for wildfires can also help reduce the amount of resources authorities have to commit to any fire burning on the island.
“It makes what might require 10 engines only need two or three,” Groneman said.
Moed said light smoke from the fire may remain while crews remain on site Wednesday evening and into Thursday.
The state park remained open during the burn, though some trails were closed as well as access to the summit of Mount Livermore on the island.
More than two decades after the “Oakland Riders” scandal rocked the Oakland Police Department, the city could be moving closer to running its police department without federal oversight, with a judge expected to make that decision next week.
The scandal included allegations of false arrests, planted evidence and excessive force. Four officers were prosecuted for felony misconduct. There were no convictions, but a class action lawsuit on behalf of 119 people ended with the city paying an $11 million settlement.
Over the past 23 years, the Oakland Police Department has undergone 51 court-ordered reforms.
Next week’s hearing is set for Tuesday, and the judge is expected to approve OPD’s release from federal oversight.
On Wednesday, members of Safe Oakland, a coalition of neighborhood, business, civil rights and faith leaders, addressed the reforms enacted over the past two decades and shared why they believe the police department should be trusted to operate without federal oversight – with a few qualifiers.
“We are the communities that paid the price, and this morning we are here to say it is time and to say exactly what Oakland must do to make sure we never go back,” Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church Sr. Bishop L. Lawrence Brandon said.
Safe Oakland does want the city to continue public reporting of internal affairs cases, use of force incidents and racial disparities in traffic stops.
“We want a police department that is effective in protecting our neighborhoods, and we want a police department that respects the rights of every person and is held accountable when those standards are not met,” Yemeni community leader and small business owner Ali Albasier said.
The group also called for continued transparency to make sure OPD abides by the California Public Records Act and civilian oversight by the police commission and the Office of Inspector General.
“Oakland voters created these positions so that when the monitor leaves, we have the ability to monitor,” Black Action Alliance interim CEO Loren Taylor said.
The group also wants the city to track key accountability indicators and let the public know if the department is trending in the wrong direction. Members said a main part of community oversight restructuring should include standing conversations with local civil rights branches and faith groups.
“A safer city begins with a community that cares,” Brandon said.
NBC Bay Area reached out to OPD for comment on the Safe Oakland oversight concerns but did not immediately hear back.
Two young men face hate crime charges after they allegedly beat a San Jose State University student while yelling homophobic slurs, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Sunnyvale resident Josue Medina Flores, 19, and Fremont resident Christian Gabriel Nunez Petty, 20, were charged with felony assault with hate crime allegations in connection with the unprovoked attack on the San Jose State campus early Saturday morning, the district attorney’s office said.
The male student and two female friends were walking on the campus at about 3:44 a.m. when they passed by the two suspects, according to the district attorney’s office. The suspects allegedly asked the student if he was gay and yelled anti-gay slurs at him. The student and his friends ignored the suspects and continued walking.
The suspects allegedly then ran up to the student and attacked him, punching him in the head more than two dozen times and kicking him while yelling anti-gay slurs, the district attorney’s office said. The suspects allegedly also struck one of the student’s friends when she jumped on top of him to shield him from the punches and kicks.
The suspects fled from the scene, but San Jose State police officers managed to arrest them before they could make it off the campus, according to district attorney’s office.
The student was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries and later released, the district attorney’s office said.
The university’s security camera network captured video footage of the attack, the district attorney’s office said.
The suspects are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon, according to the district attorney’s office. They face prison time if they are convicted.
“If you hurt someone because of their race, religion, gender, or sexuality, you will be arrested and prosecuted,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Tolerance and diversity are cherished values in this community. We back up them with one voice – and the full might of the law.”
(KRON) -- A heavy police presence was observed near the Coliseum BART Station in Oakland Wednesday morning. Video from the Citizen app showed several California Highway Patrol vehicles at the scene. In one video, there appeared to be three people sitting on the sidewalk in handcuffs. According to the CHP, officers were present to execute [...]
A California assemblywoman representing parts of San Francisco and San Mateo County is calling for her staffer to be released after federal immigration agents detained him.
District 19 Assemblymember Catherine Stefani said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Ho Yin Mo, a field representative in her office, last Thursday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said agents arrested Mo at the Las Vegas airport. The agency said he entered the U.S. in 2020 on a temporary visa but “illegally overstayed his welcome.”
In a statement, Stefani said, “I am respectfully calling for Ho Yin Mo’s release as soon as possible. Ho Yin is a selfless public servant and a valued, legal employee of the California State Legislature serving our San Francisco and Bay Area communities. When Ho Yin and I meet our Chinese-American constituents, he brings a unique sense of belonging to so many who watched him as a TV reporter. And his work goes far beyond presence. Ho Yin helps people access affordable health care coverage, child care, and food support.”
DHS also released a statement, saying, in part, “Work authorization or a pending application do not confer legal status in the United States.”
A Mexican Navy tall ship sailed into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday morning for a four-day goodwill visit, marking its first return to the city in 17 years.
The ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 sailed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge around 8:45 a.m. before arriving at Pier 15 along The Embarcadero.
The three-masted Navy training ship was greeted with fanfare as it made its official return to San Francisco.
Officials from the Mexican Consulate and representatives from city government were on hand to welcome the ship, along with hundreds of crew members aboard.
The ship was commissioned in the 1980s and built in Spain. It travels to ports around the world on goodwill visits aimed at sharing Mexican culture and history.
Visitors in San Francisco will have several opportunities to tour the ship during its stay.
Tours are scheduled for noon to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to noon and 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Cuauhtémoc is scheduled to depart San Francisco at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
(KRON) -- Prosecutors charged two men with hate crimes for attacking a San Jose State University student on campus while the duo yelled anti-gay slurs, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said. Josue Medina Flores, 19, of Sunnyvale, and Christian Gabriel Nunez Petty, 20, of Fremont, will be arraigned Wednesday at the Hall of [...]
(KRON) -- Intel has announced dozens of Bay Area job cuts across four different South Bay locations. According to a filing with the Employment Development Department, the chipmaking giant will be laying off a total of 52 Santa Clara employees. Of those, 22 will be at the company's headquarters on Mission College Boulevard, 5 on [...]
(KRON) -- A 30-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to six years in state prison for raping an intoxicated 14-year-old girl at a Foster City house party in 2024, prosecutors announced. On Aug. 5, a San Mateo County jury found Shango Jaja Greer Jr. guilty of all four felony charges against him, including rape of an [...]
(KRON) -- A North Bay college wrestler was killed in a fall at Yosemite last weekend. A statement from Santa Rosa Junior College Coach Fred Duerr confirmed that Ryan George died in the national park following an accident. While details are limited, The Press Democrat, which first reported the news, called George a "standout" athlete [...]
(KRON) -- Traffic on northbound Highway 101 near Willits is very heavy and backed up Wednesday morning after a big rig went off the road near Mendocino Avenue. No injuries have been reported, according to the California Highway Patrol. Traffic remains heavily backed up while crews are working to clear the truck. The CHP advises [...]
San Jose city leaders are moving toward setting new rules for the use of license plate reader cameras after the city’s police chief acknowledged that an officer used data from the system for personal use.
Wednesday marks the first step toward creating new rules governing the cameras, which San Jose police Chief Paul Joseph has said are serious crime-fighting tools.
Among the rules that could be enacted are prohibiting access from non-police devices, strengthening audits and pursuing state legislation regarding unauthorized access.
“I want to see us increase the volume and frequency of spot audits,” Mayor Matt Mahan said. “These are random audits of individual officers’ queries to understand which case was that associated with, was there a legitimate law enforcement purpose?”
Some community members and organizations have been pushing the city to get rid of the Flock cameras or rein in their use. The issue came to a head after it was uncovered that a San Jose police officer used license plate reader data to help a family member facing domestic violence accusations.
In a statement, Joseph said, “These new standards will help maintain trust with our community that the data is being used as intended. They will also ensure that anyone who breaches the community’s trust will face administrative and criminal consequences.”
SIREN community organizer Kimberly Woo raised broader concerns about the cameras.
“Mass surveillance is not public safety, and these cameras are only creating new threats,” Woo said. “Again, it goes way beyond just one officer and one vendor and one company because overwhelming evidence has shown, across the country, local agencies and ALPR vendors have grossly mishandled and abused our data.”
The issue will go before the city’s Rules and Open Government Committee on Sept. 30. Its recommendation will then go to the San Jose City Council.
UCSF Health workers gathered on Wednesday to remember their fallen colleague and demand changes to ensure their safety on the job.
Workers say not enough has changed to ensure their safety since the death of social worker Alberto Rangel.
SF General previously said security enhancements would be made, including adding more deputies and security officers and searching people for weapons. Social workers say more needs to be done when it comes to safety protocols and staffing.
Social workers and supporters gathered for a vigil and protest called “Hands Together for Ward 86” on Wednesday.
“Nine months ago, our colleague Alberto Rangel was killed while doing the work that he had dedicated his career to,” Clinical Social Worker at UCSF and Behavioral Health Unit Representative for UPTE Juliette Suarez said.
Rangel was stabbed in Ward 86 in December and died from his injuries in the days that followed. Patient Wilfredo Tortolero-Arriechi is accused in the attack.
A 13-page review later revealed that staff repeatedly warned their superiors about the patient’s behavior in the weeks before the stabbing.
An April audit from the San Francisco Department of Public Health supported workers’ demands for better safety protocols.
In June, regulators issued a $142,000 fine to UCSF after an investigation found the hospital lacked adequate prevention plans.
On Wednesday, workers stood outside the Department of Public Health site but also applauded the Department of Public Health’s efforts in reaching out to them. They also say DPS has been more responsive in implementing safety measures but say more needs to be done.
Now they’re calling on UCSF to act. In a statement UCSF wrote, in part:
UCSF has been continuously working and cooperating with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, our employees, and hospital, city and union leaders to strengthen workplace violence prevention, security, patient protocols and practices at Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG)
In the criminal case, a judge has ruled there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial. A trial date has not been set.
(KRON)--- A man who’s accused of breaking into someone’s garage and stealing a bicycle in Los Altos is in jail. The incident occurred Saturday morning on Summerhill Road. Police said the suspect got out of the area using the bike before officers arrived. They eventually found him hiding in bushes after surrounding the neighborhood. Officers [...]
(KRON) -- A fisherman who was seriously injured Tuesday after a wave swept him off the rocks and into the ocean was rescued by a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, authorities said. While the injured fisherman was able to pull himself out of the water at Fort Ross State Park, the surrounding steep cliffs prevented [...]
(KRON) -- An Ebony Alert was activated Tuesday for a missing 16-year-old girl last seen on Sept. 4 in Sacramento. The counties of Sacramento, Alameda and San Joaquin are included in the California Highway Patrol's alert. Azaria Higginbotham is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 109 pounds. She had black hair and [...]
(KRON) -- A 19-year-old Pleasanton man was arrested last week after authorities said he was connected to dozens of commercial burglaries in the Bay Area, the San Ramon Police Department announced Tuesday. The numerous commercial burglaries occurred in the counties of Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara. The Pleasanton Police Department said the suspect, Juan [...]
(BCN) -- A Mexican Navy tall ship sailed into San Francisco Bay on Wednesday morning for a four-day goodwill visit. The ARM Cuauhtémoc BE-01 passed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge around 8:30 a.m. before berthing at Piers 15-17 on The Embarcadero. Visitors can tour the ship during the following hours: The ship is scheduled to [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- As we venture into fall, temperatures will feel just like summer. Wednesday in the Bay Area brings inland temperatures well into the low 90s, 80s along the bay and 70s at the coast. We will repeat this heat into Thursday before cooling into the 80s at the very warmest come the [...]
Gas prices continue to climb across California, with AAA reporting the state average at $6.19 per gallon and diesel reaching $8.44 per gallon — the highest price on record and more than three dollars more expensive than a year ago.
At some stations in San Jose, regular gas has reached nearly $6.80 per gallon, while diesel sits at $8.79.
While the high fuel prices are heavily impacting drivers on the streets, they are also hitting farmers hard in the fields. NBC Bay Area’s Jocelyn Moran reports that agricultural operations are feeling the severe strain of soaring operational costs.
Tim Gillio, owner of San Felipe Farms in the Gilroy area, relies heavily on diesel to power heavy machinery.
“That particular tractor is chizzling the ground right now and that does about 20-25 gallons an hour of diesel fuel,” Gillio said.
“We have six or seven of those machines going at all times, and probably over 40 tractors, other tractors moving around using fuel, fuel is a big part of what we do,” he added.
Farmers like Gillio purchase a tax-exempt type of diesel fuel, but despite that concession, he says he is still paying double what he paid at the start of the year.
“It affects our bottom line in the fact that we grow a lot of contract crops, so we can’t go back to the people that we’re growing for and tell them, ‘Hey, we need to get paid more for fuel,’ so that just comes off our bottom line,” Gillio explained.
The Santa Clara County Farm Bureau notes that farmers throughout the county are struggling with these record prices.
Ryan Cummings, an economist at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, explained that prices remain elevated due to global supply constraints.
“The crude oil which is coming out of the Middle East is still not flowing fully and the second component is there’s reduced refinery activity across the globe which is putting a lot of strain on both gasoline and notably diesel as well,” Cummings said.
Experts note it is extremely difficult to predict when prices will drop because so much depends on geopolitical developments, including the war in Iran.
Meanwhile, the soaring fuel costs are extending beyond roads and farms to aviation. Last week, the average price of jet fuel worldwide jumped nearly $15 to nearly $195 a barrel, prompting major airlines to scale back some routes.
With the holiday season approaching, travel experts warn that the window to lock in the best airfares may be closing fast.
Oakland is moving closer to hitting pause on new data centers, after a City Council committee approved a proposed 45-day moratorium following testimony from residents on both sides of the issue.
While the temporary ban isn’t in effect yet, it cleared a key hurdle when the council committee voted in favor of the measure, meaning the city wouldn’t accept any new proposals during that period.
Environmental concerns drove much of the opposition at the hearing. Among them is a planned project at a 20,000-square-foot downtown building intended to provide computing power for artificial intelligence and robotics.
While the developer calls it an “innovation center,” members of the public repeatedly referred to it as a “data center.”
“With the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence there have been a proliferation of data centers that are more resource intensive than the past… consuming significant amounts of electrical power and water,” said Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.
Councilmember Rowena Brown echoed the need for oversight. “The moratorium is really important because we need to work and identify key regulations we need in our city… so really just to halt and put a pause.”
Public commenters voiced deep frustration over the wave of development.
“It doesn’t matter the size of the data center, it’s about whether or not we will allow our city to be the playground for the ultra rich,” one public commenter said.
Another added, “Communities are being asked to sacrifice… this isn’t fair and it’s something we shouldn’t be doing.”
However, not everyone opposed the projects. A small group of speakers argued that data centers could bring much-needed jobs and new revenue to the city.
“What Oakland needs is not more taxes… we need manufacturing… what works… AI,” a public commenter argued.
The debate mirrors similar conflicts across the Bay Area. Cities like Gilroy and Richmond recently approved their own 45-day moratoriums amid neighbor concerns.
The local pushes coincide with state action; Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed seven new data center laws addressing electricity and water use by operators.
Brown, who voted in favor of the Oakland committee measure, emphasized that community involvement remains vital. “I would encourage the community to continue to show up and let their voices be heard,” she said.
The proposed moratorium now heads to the full Oakland City Council, with a final vote scheduled for Oct. 6.
(KRON) -- Prescribed burns on Angel Island are expected to resume Wednesday after California State Parks and Cal Fire paused the project earlier this month when smoke drifted into East Bay communities. Officials say they will closely monitor weather and air quality conditions before restarting the operation. Two weeks ago, gray, hazy skies could be [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Corsagna Deli, located at 1668 Union Street in San Francisco, has announced it is closing its doors after “47 wonderful years” in business. Its last day will be Oct. 2. “Please join us for light bites, drinks, and one last chance to gather, reminisce, and say goodbye,” said Corsagna Deli in [...]
(KRON) -- The Central Marin Police Authority is asking the public for more information after a resident alerted police after spotting a man carrying what appeared to be a rifle in Larkspur Monday. Officers were dispatched at 4:24 a.m. to the incident at the walkway connecting South Eliseo Drive and Ladderman Lane. “Officers arrived on [...]
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Two people were convicted by a trial jury of first-degree murder and several other charges in a Nov. 27th, 2014 homicide, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Tuesday. Marquez Harrison, 32, was also convicted of personally discharging a firearm causing death and being a felon in possession of a firearm. [...]
A new study offers an ominous warning about Bay Bridge traffic if two transit measures on the ballot this November fail to pass, though critics note the report was produced by a think tank that has strongly endorsed both measures.
The analysis, conducted by the nonprofit think tank SPUR, warns of major impacts for drivers and commuters if transit agencies are forced to make service reductions due to a lack of funding.
The biggest concern is significantly worse traffic on some of the Bay Area’s busiest roads, including estimates that traffic on the Bay Bridge could double during rush hours.
“The failure of these measures would be devastating for communities and our economic recovery,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said.
Tuesday, Mayor Lurie and state lawmakers used the information to again urge voters to support the transit funding measures.
“People will be spending more to get to work, and will be spending more time on the road, and that also impacts our region’s economic prosperity as well,” said State Sen. Jesse Arreguin. “Make no mistake about it, transit is facing a critical moment here in the Bay Area. This is an emergency.”
Agencies like BART, Muni, AC Transit, and Caltrain are facing so-called fiscal cliffs after ridership and fare revenue fell dramatically during the pandemic.
Tuesday night, all three agencies are preparing for dramatic service cuts in case the measures fail.
Those measures — Proposition RTM, a five-county sales tax, and Prop. H, a parcel tax for Muni in San Francisco — aim to save the agencies from dire fiscal straits.
“Both Prop. H and the regional transit measure must pass to keep these transit systems strong,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener. “If the regional transportation measure fails, BART will collapse. I’m not being melodramatic — BART will collapse.”
SPUR says transit cuts would also affect family budgets and the environment, adding up to $3,200 a year in costs for some riders who are forced to switch from riding transit to driving.
In addition to estimated peak-hour delays doubling on the Bay Bridge, SPUR believes there will be additional congestion at the Caldecott Tunnel and on most major highways.
The analysis also estimates transit cuts could generate 498 million additional vehicle miles traveled each year, producing hundreds of thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide yearly.
However, critics are pushing back against the findings. Gregg Dieguez, president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit, leads the group opposing the regional measure.
He says the report fails to explore other alternatives, including reallocating funding from other transportation projects, and does not prove transit cuts are the only option.
“We want fixes before funding,” Dieguez said. “Before asking Bay Area residents for another $1.2 billion a year, the transit establishment should demonstrate that it has considered the full range of lower-cost transportation revenue and network design alternatives.”
Dieguez added, “Why are they looking at this only one scenario? It’s because they want to generate fear to get this thing passed. The real choice is whether we continue financing an extraordinarily capital-intensive transportation model designed for yesterday’s commuting patterns or use this moment to build a transportation system that is smaller, where demand has permanently fallen.”
VACAVILLE, Calif. (KRON) -- Family members gathered at a home in Vacaville Tuesday to remember Ja’Marion Grace, known affectionately as "Pop." Grace, 19, played football at the College of San Mateo. "He was a young man trying to find his way, but he was determined. He was dedicated, and he had so much life ahead [...]
(KRON) -- A 72-year-old Brentwood grandmother's causes of death were released by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office in a report released Tuesday. Yolanda Bustos Ramirez died on October 3rd, 2025, six days after she suffered a medical emergency while Brentwood police officers arrested her outside Ramirez's sister's house for a family dispute. Ramirez [...]
A Vallejo woman has earned the highest civilian award for heroism for jumping into action to save a stranger’s life.
Amanda Williams is one of 16 people in the United States and Canada being presented with the Carnegie Medal for heroism.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Williams said. “I don’t think it’s hit me yet.”
Williams helped save Roscell Wallace, a 29-year-old man who was attacked by a knife-wielding relative last year.
“He was yelling, ‘Help me! He’s trying to kill me!” Williams recalled. “He just kept saying that over and over. ‘He’s trying to kill me! He’s trying to kill me!”
Williams, a single mom and DoorDash driver, happened to be driving by the scene of the knife attack and instinctively jumped out to help.
“I grabbed his wrist – the one that held the knives – I grabbed his wrist so he couldn’t swing at him anymore,” Williams said.
Williams then managed to wrestle two knives from the attacker’s hand.
“I didn’t really think about it,” Williams said. “It was either I had to do something or he was going to die. It was a split second. You don’t really have a chance to think about it. It’s either you do something or you don’t.”
The attacker, Henry Johnson, stole Williams’ car and totaled it before getting arrested. Johnson is set to go to trial on attempted murder and other charges.
Roscell said he’s forever grateful to Williams for stepping in to help.
“She’s like an angel,” Roscell said. “God sent her to save me.”
It was a perfectly normal delivery in the most abnormal place possible: bumper-to-bumper traffic in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
When Karollyn Zepeda realized Saturday afternoon that it was time to head to the hospital to deliver her child, she and her partner Nate Geminiano didn’t expect traffic to derail their birth plan.
“I had looked at Nate and I was like, ‘You know what, I’m scared I’m gonna have this baby right here,’ especially because just as we were leaving my house my water did break,” Zepeda said.
With traffic on Crossover Drive through Golden Gate Park at a standstill, Geminiano pulled over, called 911 and started asking other people stuck in traffic for help.
“I told them that she was in labor,” Geminiano said. “Then they assisted me in just going around to other cars trying to find any medical professionals.”
Katie Higgins, a trained doula, was sitting in traffic several cars away when she heard those calls for help. She jumped into action, along with other helpers.
“Someone was going through their car and ultimately found a box of gloves that were very important and helpful,” Higgins said. “A couple women showed up with a big blanket to give her privacy. Everybody, all these San Franciscans came together.”
Zepeda said she felt relief as soon as Higgins showed up.
“She immediately, I think, said to me, ‘I’ve done two home births. I’m a doula.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thank God.’ I was just immediately relived,” Zepeda said.
The gridlock also delayed first responders. Both the American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance crew and the San Francisco firefighter team that were dispatched to the scene realized they were not going to be able to make it to the call in their vehicles, so they had to hike.
Brian Ingram with AMR tried pushing a gurney through traffic before settling on another plan.
“I asked one of the firefighters, ‘I just need one person. Just grab the front. We just got to try to make it up this dirt hill,'” he said.
When first responders eventually arrived, they all pitched in to help. A few pushes later, a new child was born.
“Being able to grab that baby, I wrapped her up in a blanket and turned around and handed her to dad,” firefighter William Melton said. “It was a very special moment.”
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday that the 2025 death of a woman one week after her arrest by Brentwood police was caused by a stroke and not by police restraint, ending a year-long investigation into her death.
“While incredibly tragic, Yolanda Ramirez died from a stroke and other health-related issues, as opposed to police use of force,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote in a report. “No further action will be taken in this case.”
The decision means prosecutors will not seek charges against Brentwood police officers Aaron Peachman and Danielle Tjhia, who detained Ramirez, 72, outside a home in Brentwood on Sept. 26, 2025.
Ramirez was found barely conscious and confused in the back of their patrol car 20 minutes after her arrest following an altercation with her sister over the well-being of their brother, an elderly man who suffers from dementia-like symptoms. Ramirez was then taken to a hospital, where she died on Oct. 3, 2025, according to the district attorney’s report.
Melissa Nold, an attorney representing the Ramirez family, said that Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton made the wrong call in the finding of death due to natural causes.
“This is after her office failed to investigate the case at all until there was public pressure, a second autopsy and I had investigated,” Nold wrote in a social media post.
After Ramirez tried to leave the scene when police arrived, body camera footage from both officers showed Ramirez was forcibly put into handcuffs and put into the back of the car, where she was left alone for 20 minutes after allegedly hitting her head on the outside of the car during her arrest.
Camera footage from the patrol car showed Ramirez, who was diabetic, slumped in the backseat and unresponsive when officers returned. She was later sent to a hospital, where she died.
A Contra Costa County coroner’s autopsy immediately following Ramirez’s death found that she died from a stroke and did not have any bruising on her head, ultimately ruling her death was due to natural causes. A second autopsy ordered by Ramirez’s family differed, concluding that Ramirez had suffered “blunt force trauma to the head” from contact with police and that her death was a homicide.
A coroner’s inquest into Ramirez’s death in July ended in a split verdict by a jury, with seven jurors ruling her death was from natural causes and eight ruling her death was an accident.
An inquest is a process separate from a medical examiner’s probe into an in-custody death and is when a jury reviews witness testimony and determines the manner of the cause of an individual’s death. Jurors were advised to choose between four possible rulings: accident, suicide, natural causes and “at the hands of another person, other than by accident.”
(Inside California Politics) — A California lawmaker is calling for the release of her staffer after he was arrested by ICE agents at a Las Vegas airport. Asm. Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, said Tuesday afternoon that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Ho Yin Mo last week on Sept. 17. The U.S. Department of Homeland [...]
(KRON) -- For decades, scientists have been scratching their heads as to why women with dense breasts have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, and a new UCSF study may have found part of the answer. Doctors previously discovered that denser breasts make it harder to interpret mammograms because it can obscure a tumor, [...]
The team announced its name on Tuesday and will begin playing at Tech CU Arena in San Jose in 2027.
Kerri Walsh Jennings, a Bay Area native and three-time Olympic gold medalist, is one of the team owners. The volleyball legend and NorCal Rumble President Heather Vaughan joined NBC Bay Area to discuss the team’s new logo, the league and why it is important for the region to have a professional women’s volleyball team.
A map is drawn to lay claim to a place. This one is drawn to recover it: By walking ground that already belonged to someone and naming what survived the three-headed blaze of divestment, disorganization and gentrification. Not everything about fire is destruction. The native ancestors of this land teach us that fire is a […]
The College of San Mateo is mourning the loss of a student-athlete.
Ja’Marion “Pop” Grace, a 19-year-old freshman defensive back on the school’s football team, was killed in a car crash last weekend. Two of his teammates were also injured.
“Pop wasn’t just a teammate – he was a brother,” the College of San Mateo football team wrote in a post on social media. “He lit up every room he walked into with his infectious energy and smile, he had a way of making everyone around him feel special. Whether he was dancing in the locker room, cracking jokes in team meetings, or showing up for his teammates off the field, Pop gave everything he had each and every day.”
College officials did not say when or where the crash happened.
The California Highway Patrol reported a deadly crash Sunday morning on Highway 101 near Yerba Buena Road in San Jose. The CHP said a preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a 2013 Ford Fusion lost control of the vehicle while traveling northbound. A 19-year-old passenger from Fairfield was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries.
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On Sept. 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its current plan for a major cleanup of Richmond’s highly contaminated United Heckathorn site. But controversy is inevitable, because the plan does not correspond with the cleanup proposal put forward by a coalition of environmental groups—the Richmond Shoreline Alliance, San Francisco Baykeeper and the local […]
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September 22, 2026 Arts FeatureEast Bay Express
In documentary photographer and filmmaker Ken Light’s new book, Soul City: Oakland, U.S.A., 120 black-and-white photographs tell the story of the people of West Oakland. Covering the years from 1974-1976 and viewed through the lens of 2026, the only thing more striking than what is seen is what is missing. Nowhere in the evocative images […]
This is the second installment of a three-part series in which our writer delves into the depths of his psyche, guided by artificial intelligence. Read the previous installment here: Part 1, ‘AI: Final Weapon or Final Healer?’. The Wound Enthroned As I began writing this article, I had one last AI-assisted breakthrough. It sets up […]
(KRON) -- A man who worked as a sports coach and teaching assistant at a high school in San Jose was convicted on Tuesday for paying students to take explicit images and videos, which he then sold to buyers online, federal prosecutors said. Todd Baldwin, 44, worked at Valley Christian High School as an operations [...]
(KRON) -- Dead Kennedys founding member and guitarist East Bay Ray, whose real name is Raymond John Pepperell, has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, according to the band. In a social media post, the band said Ray plans to continue performing and touring with the band as long as his health allows. Ray also thanked [...]
(BCN) -- More than a month after a devastating cyberattack forced Suisun City to halt day-to-day operations and declare a state of emergency, city officials announced Tuesday that all departments would reopen to the public and resume regular scheduling. A federal investigation into the malware attack is ongoing, according to a statement from the city. [...]
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September 22, 2026 Arts & CultureEast Bay Express
This week's calendar picks feature 'Radium Stories,' Los Hermanos Mendoza, Bill Frisell & Harmony 5, Adam Klipple Quintet, Tony Corman's Morchestra, The Australian Ballet, Shreya Ghoshal, Erykah Badu, Social Distortion, and Thelma and the Sleaze.
Ah, Outside Lands. Three days of music, art, gridlocked traffic, price-surging Ubers, inexplicably freezing temperatures, attendees from all over the world and, of course, so much discourse. Boasting headliners Charli XCX, The Strokes, RÜFÜS DU SOL and PinkPantheress, it’s no surprise that this year’s sold-out festival drew 75,000 attendees per day. With three-day passes priced […]
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September 22, 2026 Restaurant ReviewEast Bay Express
Dissect one of Marisa Williams’ pains au chocolat. When torn apart, the gossamer layers of pastry dough are so delicate the morning sunlight filters through them. An angel’s wings are made from a similar substance. Her tarts are more robust and also stately, the toppings changing with the seasons. This summer blackberries and blueberries formed […]
(KRON) -- Ripley's Believe It or Not! will close its longtime Fisherman's Wharf attraction before the end of the year, ending a nearly 60-year run in San Francisco. The company confirmed the closure but said a final date has not been set. The attraction will remain open in the meantime and will announce the exact [...]
(KRON) -- For Californians, the expensive air conditioning bill just got a little cheaper. On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced $886 million in utility bill relief. For both August and September, every PG&E customer in the Bay Area will receive $36.18. Newsom's office sent a press release saying, "While Donald Trump makes life more [...]
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September 22, 2026 AstrologyEast Bay Express
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the practice of niwaki, Japanese gardeners shape trees so they look both natural and artfully composed. They prune and style the branches to dramatize the tree’s inherent character. Their goal is to collaborate. I recommend you experiment with a similar approach in the coming weeks, Aries. Try partnering with the […]
(KRON) --Stanford Residential and Dining Enterprises, the campus department in charge of food and housing, used AI to alter a student's race, gender and weight in marketing materials, a Stanford spokesperson confirmed. The original photo was posted to Stanford dining's Instagram page some time ago. The picture shows three students standing in what seems to [...]
(KRON) -- A 14-year-old girl who suffered fatal injuries in a Union City crash was identified as Abby Baca, according to the girl's family. A GoFundMe page created by Baca's cousin states, "Our family is heartbroken, and we are coming together to support Abby’s parents and siblings. Losing Abby so suddenly has devastated our entire [...]
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- A San Jose man was booked into jail over the weekend after he flagged down a police officer to tell them that he had killed two people, according to authorities. Marcelino Castro, 28, approached a San Jose Police Department officer at 5:14 p.m. Saturday and said he committed a homicide, [...]
(KRON) -- A giant sculpture symbolizing Mexican culture is being assembled at Oakland's Fruitvale Transit Village. For the 31st annual Día de los Muertos Festival in Oakland, a sculpture called "La Catrina" is coming all the way from Mexico City, traveling more than 2,000 miles. The sculpture is handcrafted by Mexican artisans and "La Catrina's" [...]
The city of San Francisco sued Truth Social's parent company Monday over delayed Truth Social posts made by President Trump that users can receive early access to if they pay $100,000. The city's attorney, David Chiu, argued that Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) violated California's Unfair Competition Law, a state law against insider trading. [...]
President Donald Trump’s Truth Social is accused of “unprecedented corruption” and insider trading, according to a lawsuit announced Tuesday.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced the lawsuit against the platform’s parent company, Trump Media, for selling subscriptions allowing early access to the president’s social posts. Chiu said the paid access violates federal ethics laws and facilitates insider trading.
“Trump Media created a marketplace that enables insider trading, which Trump directly profits from,” Chiu said in a statement. “This scheme turns the public trust into private profit. It is corruption, plain and simple. Californians should not be forced to compete against wealthy trading firms buying early access to market‑moving information. We are acting decisively to stop this corruption and protect Californians, who work hard, save, and invest responsibly. They deserve a fair marketplace and an ethical government that won’t sell them out to make a quick profit.”
Truth Social over the summer started selling a subscription that allows financial firms and other organizations to get alerts for new posts made by Trump and other top accounts before general users do. For a high-frequency trading firm, even milliseconds of a head start could make a huge difference, NBC News recently reported.
The lawsuit, which aims to stop the service, claims the deal is making Truth Social an estimated $60,000 to $100,000 a month and violates California’s unfair competition law.
Trump Media is responding to the lawsuit by saying its service is no different than any standard subscription uses pay for ways to trade stock successfully.
Trump has the largest following on the platform and has used Truth Social as his go-to platform to release official statements throughout his second term.
(KRON) -- Hacker houses are nothing new to the Bay Area tech community. At the fraternal residences, fledgling founders share rent and resources while they toil away coding at what they hope is the next million-dollar startup idea. But in the high-stakes world of artificial intelligence, the once nerd-filled, frat-like hacker house of old is [...]
A ride-hailing driver was arrested earlier this month for allegedly sexually assaulting a teen boy during a trip in San Jose, police announced Tuesday.
The teen was heading to downtown San Jose in an Uber on the evening of Sept. 12 when the driver, identified as 32-year-old Foster City resident Anuj Kumar, allegedly sexually assaulted him, police said.
According to court records, Kumar inappropriately touched the 14-year-old boy and engaged the child locks on the vehicle to prevent him from leaving. Investigators said the sexual assault happened just outside the teen’s destination: the Hammer Theatre near San Jose State University.
“I know it happened inside the car, and after the survivor got out of the vehicle he did the right thing by contacting SJPD,” police spokesperson Stacie Shih said. “We’re fortunate that the victim reported this to the San Jose Police Department immediately so that we could begin our investigation.”
Authorities utilized automated license plate reader cameras to identify the suspect vehicle and subsequently Kumar as the suspect. He was arrested on Sept. 13 in Foster City and booked into jail for sexual assault of a minor, according to police.
In a statement, an Uber spokesperson said, “What’s been reported is deeply disturbing and has no place on our platform. We take reports of sexual assault extremely serious, and the driver has been permanently banned from the Uber platform. Our team is supporting law enforcement with their investigation.”
Kumar had been an Uber driver for two and a half years and had a 4.95 rating, according to court records.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information about the case or similar cases is encouraged to contact San Jose police Detective Hoang by email at [email protected] or by phone at 408-277-4102.
A man was arrested in connection with two homicides in San Jose after he allegedly flagged down a police officer and said he had committed a homicide, according to authorities.
The investigation began around 5:14 p.m. Saturday when a San Jose police patrol officer was flagged down by a man who alleged he had committed a homicide.
Officers responded to the area of Lelong and Alma avenues, where they found a man dead, police said.
The suspect, identified by police as Marcelino Castro, 28, of San Jose, was taken into custody.
During the investigation, Castro provided detectives with information about a second homicide in the area of Autumn Parkway and Coleman Avenue, according to police.
Detectives responded to that location and found a second person dead.
Castro was arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on two counts of murder.
Police said the motive and circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
The deaths are being investigated as San Jose’s 20th and 21st homicides of 2026.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Van Den Broeck at [email protected] or Detective Estantino at [email protected]. The San Jose Police Department’s Homicide Unit can also be reached at 408-277-5283.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- A ride-hailing driver is accused of sexually assaulting a boy passenger in the South Bay earlier this month, the San Jose Police Department announced Tuesday. Detectives believe there may be more victims based on the nature of the incident. The sexual assault occurred on the evening of Sept. 12 in [...]
It’s harvest time in California wine country, but many growers are struggling to sell their grapes as changing drinking habits have caused demand to plunge. The decline is forcing some growers to tear out vineyards that their families have grown for generations.
Wine sales have decreased by more than 20% over a five-year period, causing prices paid for grapes to drop and prompting California growers to take roughly a quarter of the state’s vineyards out of production. Many growers are having to decide whether to harvest at a loss, leave grapes on the vine or replace vineyards with crops more in demand such as almonds, walnuts, pistachios and olives.
Third-generation grower Bill Berryhill said it means another year of losing money and wasting hundreds of tons of healthy grapes.
“It’s just sickening,” said Berryhill, standing in a vineyard of unsold merlot grapes. “You raise a beautiful crop, and it’s really a nice vintage this year, and you drop it on the ground. It’s sad. All your work is just down the toilet.”
Berryhill, who owns Berryhill Family Vineyards near Lodi in the San Joaquin Valley, said he can’t find buyers for grapes grown on 200 of his 500 acres (202 hectares). He plans to remove 50 acres (20 hectares) of vineyards when the harvest season is over.
“I will lose money for sure. It’s just a matter of how much,” Berryhill, 68, said. “This has been a big loser for three years now.”
Grape growers take vineyards out of production
At its peak during the pandemic, California had almost 600,000 acres (242,811 hectares) of vineyards, but farmers have removed or stopped actively growing wine grapes on roughly 25% of that land, said Jeff Bitter, president of Allied Grape Growers, which represents about 500 farmers statewide.
This year, about half of California’s wine grape crop entered the harvest season without contracts with buyers, compared with 70 to 80% with contracts in a typical year, Bitter said.
If they’re lucky, growers can sell their uncontracted grapes at a loss to buyers making concentrated syrup.
Even as growers have abandoned or removed tens of thousands of acres of vineyards in California in recent years, too many grapes are still being produced, Bitter said.
“The market is just so depressed that it’s difficult to grow them profitably,” he said. “Demand is not going up. It’s still continuing to decline.”
Kyle Collins, a Lodi-based operations manager with Allied Grape Growers, recently examined ripe grapes in a petite verdot vineyard in Lodi, one of California’s most productive wine regions.
“Unfortunately, we do not have a buyer for these grapes,” Collins said. “That’s unfortunately a reality for not just this vineyard but a lot of us around here.”
Besides hurting vineyards, the drop in sales has hit local businesses and workers, he said.
“That’s not getting into the pockets of the people doing the field labor, the farmworkers,” Collins said. “It does have a trickle effect in the economy.”
Wine sales fall after years of growth
The downturn is a dramatic shift for the wine industry in California, which produces more than 80% of U.S. wine due to its unique geography and Mediterranean climate. For decades, California’s wine industry grew steadily as Americans, particularly baby boomers, developed a taste for cabernet, zinfandel, chardonnay and other varietals.
The most famous wine regions such as Napa and Sonoma Valley produced premium vintages while the Central Valley grew grapes for less expensive labels.
Wine sales peaked during the pandemic in 2021 when restaurants were closed and social gatherings restricted. People stocked up on wine and drank more at home.
But over the past five years, wine sales have declined sharply, and they’re expected to fall further this year.
In the U.S., sales of wine cases declined 23% from 427 million in 2020 to 329 million in 2025, while total wine spending fell 22% from $94 billion to $74 billion, according to First Citizens Bank, formerly Silicon Valley Bank, which produces an annual State of the Wine Industry Report.
Wine industry faces more competition, tariffs and changing tastes
California can’t export its excess inventory because wine consumption is down globally and it’s more expensive to produce in the U.S. than countries such as Argentina and Australia, Bitter said. In 2025, global wine consumption declined 2.7% from 2024 and 14% from 2018, with sharp declines in Europe and China, according to the International Organization of Vine and Wine.
There are a variety of forces driving the decline in wine sales. Baby boomers are aging out of the market while young people are drinking less alcohol due to health and financial concerns. Wine faces competition from craft beer, liquor and canned cocktails as well as cannabis.
“The kids just aren’t drinking as much,” Berryhill said. “And it’s not just wine, it’s whiskey and beer and everything. And then you’ve also got the competition with all the seltzers.”
Tariffs have reduced exports, particularly to Canada, which was the largest foreign buyer of American wine.
“The next step in the healing process is not only balancing supply and demand, but now actually figuring out what it is that the other consumers want,” said Rob McMillan, chief wine strategist at First Citizens Bank.
The industry hopes the market will bottom out soon. Meanwhile, growers are absorbing heavy losses trying to hang on.
Berryhill, whose grandfather started growing grapes nearly 100 years ago, doesn’t plan to give up on wine even though it’s costing him.
“I love growing grapes. It’s in the blood,” Berryhill said. “Because I love them, I can weather this and I’ll fight through it.”
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Potential cuts to the Bay Area's three principal transit systems could have dramatic impacts on transportation in the region as a whole. These include driving up greenhouse gas emissions, increasing travel distances, ramping up parking demand, and more than doubling traffic delays on the Bay Bridge. Those are the findings of [...]
San Francisco could move one step closer Tuesday to a potential takeover of PG&E’s power grid in the city.
The city has considered taking over PG&E’s power grid for years, but the issue was reignited following a widespread blackout last December that left a third of San Francisco in the dark in the days leading up to the Christmas holiday.
Since then, steps to expand public power have followed.
In July, the San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously certified the final environmental impact report for a proposed acquisition of PG&E’s assets.
On Tuesday, PG&E is appealing that decision to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
If the board rejects the appeal, it would clear one hurdle for the city to potentially use eminent domain for public power.
Several hurdles would still remain, including determining how much PG&E’s assets are worth.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has previously estimated the value at between $3 billion and $4 billion. PG&E says that estimate is significantly lower than what its assets are worth.
If supervisors reject PG&E’s appeal Tuesday, it would allow the potential public takeover to move forward.
President Donald Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday at a tumultuous moment for the world — and for his presidency — and made the case that he’s shown fortitude while other leaders have equivocated as he defended his decision to start a war with Iran.
Trump opened his remarks to the international community with more of a campaign stump-style speech, largely overlooking foreign affairs to focus on his domestic track record on the economy, immigration and crime.
“I can report to you with pride that America is back and our country is stronger today than ever before,” Trump said.
Trump then turned to his six-months-long war against Iran, framing the conflict he launched earlier this year as necessary to address a long-ignored threat. Trump accused Iran of stalling to make a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate an endgame to the war until after the midterm elections.
“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”
He continued, “Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?”
But at the heart of the address was a fulsome defense of the war and pushback on the notion that Iran has shown a measure of resilience.
“The terrorist regime is behaving badly, not because they are strong and confident, but because they are weak and desperate,” Trump said.
Most of Iran’s delegation walked out of the chamber as Trump railed against the Islamic Republic.
Trump later told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with the Iranian officials on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders but he offered few details about how the discussions transpired or the substance of the exchange.
“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said. The president later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.”
The engagement comes after months of U.S.-Iran communications languishing following the collapse of a short-lived ceasefire that was brokered in June. U.S. and Iranian negotiators met separately with Qatari and Pakistani mediators in Doha in early July for indirect talks.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Trump is open to meeting with Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, while he’s in New York for the General Assembly.
“This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Today” show. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important.”
Trump also met on Tuesday with leaders and senior officials from Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates — as well as Jordan to discuss the way ahead with the war in Iran.
In his address to the General Assembly, Trump made the case that he’s shown fortitude while other leaders have equivocated as he defended his decision to start a war with Iran.
But Trump also suggested that he could be at a crossroads in the conflict even as he called on the Islamic Republic to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and return to the negotiating table to find a settlement to end the conflict.
Trump’s speech began a busy day of diplomacy
After his speech, Trump gathered with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the General Assembly to sign a new security agreement.
The deal, announced last week, came together after Trump repeatedly threatened to “take over” Greenland, a territory of NATO-ally Denmark, by military force if necessary. Trump said Tuesday the U.S. will immediately begin the process of developing a larger military presence in Greenland including “building two very major military bases.”
Under the deal, Greenland remains Denmark’s territory.
Trump also held talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He’s expected to hold a more informal meeting on Tuesday evening with Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez, according to the White House.
Trump also took part in an event on the Shield of Americas, an initiative Trump launched with Latin American countries earlier this year focused on combatting violent cartels.
Iran war looms large
The visit to the U.N. comes when Trump’s foreign policy approach — particularly his decision to start a war with Iran — has become a drag on his fellow Republicans’ hopes of retaining control of both chambers of Congress during the coming midterm elections. Recent polls show 69% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war. Trump insisted Tuesday that he’s not concerned with politics and claimed the world is better off for his leadership.
“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history,” Trump said. “I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day. I do not believe in letting problems fester.”
The global economy has been shaken by his decision to launch a war against Iran. Anxiety about the social impact being wrought by artificial intelligence is surging. And questions linger about the future of the United Nations itself with Trump’s scaling back U.S. financial support for the United Nations.
In last year’s address at the U.N., Trump claimed the U.S. had “demolished” Iran’s nuclear capabilities after he ordered the June 2025 bombardment of three key facilities.
He returned to the General Assembly nearing the seven-month mark of a new war against Iran that he insists is necessary to address a nuclear threat posed by Iran.
The war has grown more complicated even though strikes by the United States and Israel have killed much of Iran’s top leadership and destroyed its air force and navy, while a U.S. blockade of Iranian oil has left Tehran in economic shambles.
The energy market continues to be spooked by the war and oil prices remain elevated. Saudi Arabia earlier this month shuttered a key pipeline that acted as a relief valve for oil blocked in the Gulf. The kingdom made the move after the pipeline came under attack by Iran-backed militants in Iraq.
At the same time, territorial grabs by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, another Iranian-backed group, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait has now made it treacherous for oil carriers to use that Red Sea shipping lane.
Trump’s frustration with Russia-Ukraine war mounts
In his address, the president also touched on Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine during his U.N. address — a conflict that during his 2024 campaign he predicted would be resolved on Day One of his second term. He once again expressed hope that the conflict will soon be resolved.
Trump hasn’t obscured that his patience is being tested by Ukraine’s targeting of Russia’s diesel refineries — an issue that’s added to the global oil markets’ volatility — and Russia’s targeting of Ukraine’s energy grid.
Trump last week asserted that he got the two sides to agree to not target each other’s energy infrastructure.
Zelenskyy had said he was willing to go along with Trump’s plan if Russia abided by it. Russia said it could only go along with Trump’s energy truce proposal if Western energy sanctions on Moscow were lifted first.
The two sides have continued carrying out strikes on refineries and other energy infrastructure.
Trump noted that last week he signed a new sanctions bill targeting Moscow. It empowers him to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas.
The legislation includes an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports. Trump, however, has yet to enact the stiff penalties.
“If necessary, I will have to use them,” Trump said. “It’s time to stop the killing.”
A local hair salon owner is left starting over from scratch after thieves broke into her business last Thursday, spending an hour inside and making off with tens of thousands of dollars in supplies and equipment.
The burglary happened during the early morning hours while the owner was out of town and no one was working. Compounding the loss, the salon’s security system failed to notify police of the break-in.
Segen Gedam, owner of Goddess Hair Bar, recalled the moment she discovered the devastation.
“I just wanted to vomit, I wanted to vomit, I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Gedam said.
Surveillance footage captures two thieves entering the salon. One of the suspects notices a security camera and throws it to the floor. The footage shows the pair moving to the back of the shop, rummaging through cabinets, stuffing supplies into bags, and leaving a mess behind.
“It was containers of hair on this side, containers of hair that side, all my chemicals,” Gedam said.
Gedam specializes in hair extensions. The thieves stole her entire inventory, including hair, retail products, professional tools, and everyday supplies.
“They even took napkins, like tissue paper, for the bathroom,” she said.
Because the security system failed to alert authorities, the burglars had ample time to ransack the business for a full hour before fleeing. The loss has forced Gedam to question the future of her livelihood.
“I worked so hard, do I want to do that again? Do I want to start all over again?” she asked.
Despite the setback, the Campbell community is rallying around Gedam by launching an online fundraiser and continuing to book appointments at the salon.
“It’s not just about the money, it’s about feeling protective of someone trying to hurt our family, our community, our space,” said Angelina Barron, a customer at Goddess Hair Bar.
Gedam, who has spent 20 years in the industry and owned her salon for a decade, remains determined.
“I’m not going to give up, I worked too hard,” she said.
The Campbell Police Department said investigators are actively working to identify those responsible.
California has a new law aiming to toughen penalties for those participating in illegal sideshows. The legislation is the result of a partnership between San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani.
Ernesto Cabello, a vendor who has been part of San Francisco’s Mission District for nearly 30 years, says he remembers when the intersection of 16th and Mission streets used to be a hotspot for dangerous illegal sideshows. But he notes that things have improved.
In fact, the last major illegal street show the San Francisco Police Department had to respond to was back in May on the Bay Bridge.
Now, authorities say that with a combination of stricter laws and new efforts — like drones and speed bumps — the streets are getting safer again.
City officials expect the situation to improve even more now that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the new sideshow accountability measure. The law was authored by Stefani and supported by Lurie.
According to the mayor’s office, the new law will add motorbikes and dirt bikes to the sideshow framework, closing a legal loophole.
It also makes serious bodily injury caused by a driver in a sideshow felony-eligible and will allow authorities to impound vehicles when someone is convicted of a sideshow-related offense.
“What we were hearing from a lot of our law enforcement agencies was that they didn’t have the tools to deal with the way sideshows were continuing to proliferate throughout the Bay Area, and it updates the law as to how sideshows operate today,” Stefani said.
Last year, Lurie also signed a bill increasing fines for misdemeanor sideshow offenses from $500 to $1,000.
“It is focused on people who repeatedly engage in the most dangerous conduct,” Stefani said.
Bay Area air quality officials met with Richmond residents to discuss a preliminary health risk assessment that indicates emissions from the Chevron refinery pose potential health risks to parts of the city.
Officials emphasized that the assessment is not an immediate warning for residents to stay indoors, but the findings identify risks high enough to potentially require corrective action from Chevron.
The report estimates a maximum lifetime cancer risk of 37 in a million from refinery emissions — more than three times the district’s threshold. It also identified short-term non-cancer health risks exceeding district standards.
“10 out of 266 of different sources throughout the refinery were found to be above the limit that raises the risk of particular contaminants… that can cause cancer,” said Dr. Rohan Radhakrishna, Bay Area Air District health officer.
According to the findings, the estimated cancer risk is primarily linked to pollutants escaping through small leaks at the facility, while short-term risks are mostly tied to the refinery’s wastewater treatment system.
“Everybody deserves to breathe the cleanest air possible… and people are looking to government and science to provide reliable results to make their life safer,” Radhakrishna said.
A map presented during the meeting highlighted the highest estimated risks near Point Richmond and the Richmond Parkway. Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia said the priority is utilizing the report to drive environmental improvements.
“I think this report… helps to understand the health impacts of the refinery,” Gioia said.
For lifelong Richmond residents, the data validates long-standing local concerns.
“Over the years we’ve heard that Richmond refinery is the highest polluter in the state,” one community member noted during public comment.
“I think more than anything it’s how do we reduce the risk? We all have children, we all work here,” said Richmond resident Tania Pulido.
Other residents expressed skepticism regarding whether Chevron will implement lasting corrections.
“Only way they’ll reduce it is if there’s infrastructure out there to keep on flagging every time they mess up,” said Richmond resident Dshawn Goodwin.
Chevron pushed back against the findings, questioning the accuracy of the report in a statement released Monday:
“A health-protective assessment should also be accurate. The Air District acknowledges that key assumptions in their draft report may overstate estimated risk. We agree and have identified outdated equipment and assumptions that do not reflect actual operations.”
The assessment remains preliminary, with a public comment period open through Nov. 23. If the elevated risk levels are ultimately confirmed, Chevron will be required to develop and execute a compliance plan to reduce them within five years.
The defense team in the retrial for the man convicted of kidnapping and killing Morgan Hill teenager Sierra LaMar is calling the judge biased and requesting he recuse himself.
The surprising move on Monday comes weeks before the start of Antolin Garcia-Torres’s retrial. His defense team argues the judge was biased based on a handful of prior rulings and because he used to work as a prosecutor in Santa Clara County.
“To make this move now, I think, is very unusual,” said Steven Clark, a legal analyst. “It may be that they’re trying to work the refs like you see coaches do in sports. That they’re trying to say, ‘Look, some of these rulings have not gone our way. We hope we’ll get some rulings down the road.’ I don’t think this is going to be successful.”
Judge Brian Buckelew said as prosecutor he had never worked directly on the Sierra LaMar case. He also gave an important tentative ruling that favored the defense, saying he was inclined to now allow prosecutors to use the DNA data firm Cybergenetics for potential analysis.
“This case will come down to the DNA evidence and the validity of the way it was gathered and tested,” Clark said. “Having the prosecution not be able to use the DNA experts they want is a huge win for the defense.”
The 15-year-old LaMar vanished in March 2012 while on her way to school in Morgan Hill and her body was never found.
Her cell phone and belongings were later discovered on the side of the road two miles from her home, containing trace evidence that tied Garcia-Torres to her disappearance. Her DNA was also found in Garcia-Torres’s car. But without a body, murder weapon, or crime scene, that forensic DNA was the crux of the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s case.
In June 2017, Garcia-Torres was sentenced to life for her murder.
A judge in February overturned the conviction, partly because the district attorney had used three unrelated kidnapping cases to help convict Garcia-Torres.
Garcia-Torres has remained in prison.
Both sides are set to return to court Thursday. The judge in that hearing is expected to rule whether he plans to stay on the case.
Con Azucar Café is a national franchise, but it all started with a Bay Area visionary and a dream.
Owner Alejandra Gonzalez graduated from Los Gatos High School and attended a vocational school in San Jose. That landed her a job at Tesla, where she ran their new recycling department, eventually overseeing 400 employees. But she wanted more.
She decided to quit Tesla and open a Mexican coffee shop with her husband, calling it Con Azucar. It was a gamble.
“It is very scary,” Gonzalez said. “We still don’t know what’s on the other side. But it’s a learning process like everything. I think we’ve learned a lot throughout the time.”
The gamble has paid off. Con Azucar has become an institution, leading to locations across the Bay Area and franchises in Los Angeles, Nebraska and Texas. Moving forward, one investor has developed a plan to open 100 franchise locations in 10 years in Southern California.
A 19-year-old man was killed and another was seriously injured in a crash on Highway 101 in San Jose early Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The solo-vehicle crash happened around 2:06 a.m. on northbound Highway 101 at Yerba Buena Road.
CHP said a preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a 2013 Ford Fusion lost control of the vehicle while traveling northbound.
A 19-year-old passenger from Fairfield was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries, according to CHP.
The driver, a 19-year-old man from San Mateo, was taken to a hospital with major injuries.
CHP said it is not yet known whether alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Jose CHP office at 408-961-0900.
California is bracing for a “Super El Niño” that some believe could bring some of the strongest storms, and storm damage, the state has ever seen.
Gov. Gavin Newsom considers the warning so dire that he has declared a preemptive state of emergency.
Folks who live along the Russian River in Guerneville are no strangers to flooding, but tonight they are gearing up for possible record conditions.
“Comes in fast and then it drains by the tides. The tides hold the water the creek can’t get out,” said Steven Cline, a Guerneville resident who describes the flooding that takes place in his neighborhood nearly every year.
But Cline says he is now gearing up for potentially historic flooding.California officials are sounding the alarm, saying a record-breaking El Niño could bring extreme storms and flooding across the state.
“The risk in front of us is serious. This is part of a larger and alarming trend,” said Caroline Thomas Jacobs, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Thomas Jacobs added that climate-driven El Niño conditions could mean months of dangerous weather, heavy rain, strong winds, deep mountain snow, and flooding, emphasizing that Californians should understand this clearly.
Paul Lowenthal with the Santa Rosa Fire Department says that while it is unclear whether the forecasted El Niño conditions will hold, the emergency declaration is a great reminder to prepare.
“Whether it’s knowing when to sign up for emergency alerts, having your go-bag ready, being prepared for the potential of outages, being prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice,” Lowenthal said.
State and local officials are already gearing up. Cal Fire crews have been removing trees along River Road in Sonoma County — trees at risk of coming down in a big storm.
They are clearing debris from waterways and getting ready to put in extra sandbag stations. They are also prepositioning California National Guard equipment, including high-water vehicles to be used for water rescues if needed.
“Last couple weeks they were sledging the creek, taking all the debris, taking out 100 yards of dirt, bulldozer, bulldoze tree debris, garbage and clearing all culverts out, so they’re preparing for it,” Cline said.
Cline says he is glad to see the state and the county taking precautions. He says he will start moving his belongings to higher ground soon.
“El Niño is going to really sock us this year, so I’m preparing, that’s all I can do,” he added.
San Francisco’s first Raising Cane’s officially opened its doors at Fisherman’s Wharf on Monday morning, drawing dozens of people hours before the restaurant opened.
The first person in line arrived dressed in a Raising Cane’s costume.
Kodi Fort, a senior at nearby Galileo High School, got in line around 7:30 a.m. and was one of 20 people who won free Raising Cane’s meals for a year.
The Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant marks Raising Cane’s first location in San Francisco, 30 years after the chain was founded in 1996.
Not everyone welcomed the new restaurant. A handful of PETA protesters gathered outside to share their opposition to consuming animal products.
The protest remained peaceful, and the demonstrators later left.
Another Raising Cane’s location is set to open at Stonestown next month.
The group known as the “Stanford 11” has reached an agreement that could lead to the dismissal of charges stemming from a 2025 protest at Stanford University.
A judge Monday agreed to a stipulated agreement between the defendants and the California Attorney General’s Office.
Under the agreement, the 11 defendants, who faced a combination of misdemeanor and felony charges, will have their cases dismissed if they complete 100 hours of community service and pay nearly $52,000 in restitution to Stanford for damage caused during the protest.
The restitution has already been paid, and two defendants, including Jerman Gonzalez, have completed their community service.
The defendants were arrested following a June 2025 protest in which demonstrators broke into a Stanford University building to protest the school’s investments in companies they say support Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office took the case to a grand jury and secured indictments. An attorney for the Stanford 11 criticized the process as a “secret,” one-sided grand jury hearing that prevented the defendants from having a public preliminary hearing.
The District Attorney’s Office has said the protest caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and traumatized workers.
Five of the defendants went to trial earlier this year, but the case ended in a mistrial.
A judge later barred Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his office from retrying the case, citing a conflict of interest after Rosen promoted the case on a campaign fundraising website as part of an effort to fight antisemitism.
It’s that time of year again. San Francisco Fleet Week is back.
The fall tradition will be highlighted by the Blue Angels screaming across the skies, but there are plenty of other events to experience. Check out the guide below to learn more about Fleet Week events.
San Francisco Fleet Week is an annual celebration of the nation’s sea services.
A multi-day air show, parade of ships and ship tours highlight the weeklong festivities.
“San Francisco Fleet Week is an annual public event that honors the contributions of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces while advancing cooperation and knowledge among civilian- and military-based Humanitarian Assistance personnel,” a statement on the event’s website reads.
Head to a location along San Francisco Bay between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz to catch a thrilling aerial show featuring the Blue Angels, a United Airlines 777, and much more.
When: 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11
Lineup and schedule: Stay tuned for detailed information on the airshow lineup and schedule
Where: Ticketed seating located at the Marina Green in San Francisco
Set your eyes on the water near the Golden Gate Bridge to catch the fleet of ships arriving in the Bay, escorted by a San Francisco Fire Department boat shooting water into the air.
When: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9
Where: San Francisco Bay waterfront (the parade can be seen from locations along the water between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge)
Pay special tribute to the U.S. service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice by attending the Honor Our Fallen Concert, led by the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Marine Division Band.
When: 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8
Where: Marines’ Memorial Theatre (609 Sutter St., San Francisco)
The California’s attorney general’s office announced a settlement Monday resolving a 12-state legal challenge to Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing a key hurdle for the transaction.
The merger would join together two historic film studios (Paramount and Warner Bros.), two popular streaming platforms (Paramount+ and HBO Max) and two news organizations (CBS News and CNN) under the leadership of 43-year-old mogul David Ellison.
The states opposing the deal, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to block the merger July 13, arguing in a 38-page complaint that it would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood.
The terms of the settlement include a pledge by the company to release 30 films per year for the first two years of the deal, followed by 32 films in each of the following three years — or pay a fee for missing that target. Bonta also said that the combined company would invest more than $1 billion in production and film releases in the United States.
Paramount is also pledging to establish independent editorial boards overseeing the operations of CNN and CBS News.
Also Monday, the Writers’ Guild of America announced it had settled its lawsuit with Paramount. The guild, which is made up of more than 21,000 members, said in its statement that it is still opposed to the deal, but after the states moved to drop their case, it had to “contend with the reality of forging ahead alone.”
As part of its settlement terms, the union said Paramount has agreed “to prohibit writer layoffs at CBS News Broadcast for 5 years, and to pay $17.5 million to our health fund along with our attorneys’ fees in the litigation.”
Paramount had agreed to freeze the merger until either the antitrust challenge was resolved or June 1, 2027 — whichever came first. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who is presiding over the case, had scheduled an antitrust trial for early March.
The fee of $30 million per missed film will be paid into health care and retirement trust funds associated with Hollywood unions, such as the Writers Guild, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Directors Guild of America.
In a statement Monday, Ellison said, “We are grateful to Attorney General Bonta and his fellow AGs, as well as the WGA, for engaging in good faith to find a path forward to a resolution that serves all parties, and to Governor Newsom for his support throughout this process.”
“Our goal has always been to build a stronger Hollywood — one with more stories told, greater choice for consumers and stronger competition,” he added.
Shares of both Paramount and Warner soared more than 10% as reports of the settlement circulated early in the day.
Additionally, as part of the states’ settlement agreement, “the merged company must conduct negotiations for Paramount basic cable channels independently from negotiations for Warner basic cable channels, preserving the existing competitive dynamic between the companies,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenportsaid in a statement.
“The merged company will commit $47.5 million in a workforce fund over five years for training and career development for workers who are displaced by the merger,” the statement said.
The lawsuit challenging the deal was filed by Bonta and his fellow Democratic attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Washington.
They argued that the transaction violated Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, a federal law that bars mergers likely to reduce competition. The states said the deal would lessen competition in three areas: wide-release theatrical film distribution, anticipated top-grossing movie distribution and the market for distributing basic cable channels to cable and satellite providers.
Paramount rejected those claims, arguing that the states’ suit is “wrong on both the facts and the law” and “one of the weakest merger challenges in modern antitrust history.”
Paramount executives had been eager to wrap up the deal as soon as possible partly because the company agreed to pay Warner shareholders a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share each quarter if the transaction did not close by Sept. 30 — a penalty worth more than $600 million every three months.
In August, Paramount’s lawyers asked Martínez-Olguín to require the merger’s legal opponents, which also includes the Writers Guild, to put up a nearly $1.9 billion bond. The money, the company said, would cover the costs of delays caused by the antitrust lawsuit.
Paramount had already received regulatory clearance from the Justice Department, which approved the deal June 12, and it has touted similar approvals from other foreign territories, including Australia, Canada and China.
The deal was given the green light by the European Commission on July 21, which required the company to divest its stake in United International Pictures and not enter any film distribution deals with Universal in the European Economic Area for 10 years.
The merger also has the backing of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas, the largest movie theater chains in the U.S. by number of locations and screens.
But many outspoken actors, writers and producers in Hollywood have rallied behind efforts to block the merger, arguing in an open letter earlier this year that further corporate consolidation of the entertainment industry will “threaten the sustainability of the entire creative community.”
Paramount has repeatedly insisted the deal is “lawful, pro-competitive, and will benefit consumers, creators, workers, and the entertainment industry.”
The company has argued that big studios face healthy competition from smaller film distribution labels, including recent hitmakers Amazon MGM (“Project Hail Mary”), A24 (“Backrooms”) and Lionsgate (“Michael”).
The actors’ union SAG-AFTRA issued a statement shortly after a settlement was reached saying it believes the terms address “some of our deep concerns about production levels and investment in U.S. production”
“We will continue to approach our relationship with Paramount with professionalism and the intention to work well together,” SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin and National Executive Director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said in the statement. “We hope that the process of engaging with the attorneys general has impressed upon them the fact that in addition to collective bargaining, our members rely on the law to help protect our interests.. These are the lowest standards that our employers must meet.”
On Sunday and Monday, members of the Committee for the First Amendment, a free-speech advocacy group headed by actor Jane Fonda — organized rallies in Oakland, California, outside Bonta’s office, and in New York City, outside state Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
Holding signs reading “#BlockTheMerger,” the protesters called on attorneys general from the states suing Paramount to “stay strong” and resist making concessions in negotiations.
“We just want to thank everyone for listening, we want people to spread the word and let everyone know: this merger is bad,” said Bruce Cohen, a producerwho was among the rally attendees and speakers Monday. “It’s bad for Hollywood, it’s bad for workers, it’s bad for democracy.”
A protest outside California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Oakland office caught the attention of some of the biggest names in Hollywood on Sunday.
About three dozen demonstrators protested at Bonta’s office with a mission to persuade him to continue his fight against the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger and not accept what they say is a bad settlement.
More than 1,000 actors, directors and production crews, including 75 Academy Award winners, have come out against the merger.
The group formed after actor Mark Ruffalo encouraged his social media followers to join the rally.
Paramount Skydance wants to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for about $110 billion. But the deal has been met with political and legal challenges, as well as with protests.
Among other things, opponents are worried it will hurt writers and shrink the labor market.
“It’s the tens of thousands of people who will lose their jobs, the creativity that will be lost as a result of there not being this competition out there,” Landmark Theaters co-founder Gary Mayer said.
Paramount has said publicly it needs the merger so it can compete financially with larger companies, but in July, California joined 11 other states in suing to stop the merger, and a judge temporarily blocked the consolidation deal during litigation.
In an email, Bonta’s press office said they could not “confirm or deny” whether talks are ongoing nor about “their alleged substance.”
Protestors say they want Bonta and other AGs across the country to stand firmly against further media consolidation, stop the settlement talks and take this case to trial.
NBC Bay Area reached out to Paramount for comment about the rally and the ongoing talks but have not heard back.
Home prices continue to rise across the Bay Area, even as the housing market typically begins to cool in the fall.
The latest Zillow Home Value Index shows home values rose across all nine Bay Area counties in August.
San Francisco saw a 1.8% increase, while San Mateo County rose 0.7% and Alameda County increased 0.1%. Home values in the remaining counties rose by roughly a couple tenths of a percentage point.
Coldwell Banker told NBC Bay Area it is not seeing the typical slowdown in fall sales activity that the region has experienced in recent years.
The real estate company said there is a significant amount of cash in the market, in part because of the boom in artificial intelligence.
“Even though interest rates have ticked up, those buyers that are mortgage dependent are still coming into the market and they want home ownership,” said Mary Lee Blaylock, president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates. “The American Dream of home ownership is steadfast and consistent and remains intact no matter what.”
Coldwell Banker said it cannot predict where home prices will go from here and noted that real estate conditions can vary significantly from one area to another.
The company recommends consulting with a local real estate agent when considering buying or selling a home.
Authorities have found no evidence to back up a report that an injured girl was spotted at the scene of a rollover crash Sunday night in Redwood City, police said.
The crash occurred about 10:40 p.m. on northbound U.S. Highway 101 at the overpass north of Woodside Road. The suspect fled the scene on foot, authorities said.
Police and California Highway Patrol officers searched the area following a report that a 4- to 5-year-old girl, with blonde or brown hair and a pink jacket, was seen bleeding from the head after the crash.
“After a thorough search, no juvenile matching the reported description was located and there is currently no evidence that a child was involved,” police said in an update on Monday morning.
Multiple spot fires ended up burning approximately 340 acres in Marin County on Sunday, the Marin County Fire said.
The fire department said at around 4:40 p.m. crews responded to reports of a vegetation fire near Chileno Valley Road, around four miles south of Tomales Road, in the Chileno Valley area.
Upon arrival, the fire department said it was determined there were multiple spot fires. The forward progress of one of the smaller ones was stopped at around 4:50 p.m., while the forward progress of the two remaining fires was stopped just before 7 p.m.
Authorities said the spot fires burned approximately 340 acres combined.
The Oakland Roots Soccer Club, Port of Oakland and a Southern California realty group have come to an exploratory negotiating agreement to develop the Howard Terminal site.
On Sept. 10, the Port of Oakland Commissioners voted to authorize an exploratory exclusive negotiating agreement with the team, the port and Industrial Realty Group for one year at Howard Terminal, according to an agenda report.
“You are probably aware that we have been playing at four different venues through our seven years existence, very nomadic,” Chief Real Estate Officer of the Oakland Roots and Soul Lydia Tan said. “I think it’s important for me personally as a commissioner to think about the opportunities at Howard as something that will provide strength and health to the entire port and all of our operations, and I think this is really good step in that direction.”
A description of the respective projects, site plans, proposed acreage parking plans, potential uses, workforce and maritime integration are part of the expected timeline.
in a statement, the Oakland 68s, an organization dedicated to the community and its sports culture said in part the agreement “represents an opportunity to build a new chapter for Oakland sports and the city’s waterfront.”
NBC Bay Area reached out to Industrial Realty Group for comment, but hasn’t heard back yet.
A body was found in the Guadalupe River Trail area in San Jose early Sunday morning, according to the police department.
Police said at around 1:15 a.m., officers responded to a report of suspicious circumstance in the area of the Guadalupe River Trail near the intersection of Coleman Avenue and Autumn Parkway. There, authorities said they found a dead person.
The police department said investigation is ongoing.
A healthy baby girl made an unexpected roadside arrival Friday afternoon after her family got stuck in heavy traffic on the way to the hospital, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
The unexpected delivery began at approximately 4:40 p.m., when crews received a report of a family en route to a hospital to deliver their baby, the department announced Saturday.
Fire officials said due to heavy traffic near Crossover Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, the family pulled over and called 911.
SFFD Paramedic Engine 14 and AMR Unit 110, a 911 provider for San Francisco, were dispatched to the scene. AMR Unit 110 arrived first, but traffic conditions forced the crew to park two blocks away and run to reach the patient.
Parents Karollyn and Nate said on Sunday a doula sitting in traffic with them helped coach Karollyn through the process while waiting for paramedics.
Personnel arrived just in time to assist with the delivery of the baby girl. Engine 14 crews arrived shortly afterward to provide care for both the mother and the newborn.
Both the mother and child were later transported to a local hospital and reported to be in good condition, the department stated.
“We want to congratulate the family and welcome this new child to the world,” the SFFD said in a statement. “Her arrival is a true testament to the dedication, compassion and teamwork of our first responders.”
On Sunday, Karollyn and Nate revealed the baby’s name is Cielle Ray. They said Karollyn is “doing great,” and she is in the recovery process.
“Mom is doing great, recovering well and we’re leaving later tonight,” the family wrote. “We always joked around about giving birth in the car, never thought it would happen to us. We took a route that I take every morning to work without issues, and just so happens that the day with the worst traffic is the last day we needed it. But we were so fortunate to have the support that we did, especially some medical professionals that were sitting in the same traffic. Most notably a doula that helped coach Karollyn through the process until the paramedics arrived.
SAN FRANCISCO — Kruk and Kuip plan to call their final game together on Sept. 27, but the road to get there won’t be easy.
A few weeks after Mike Krukow announced that this will be his final season, Duane Kuiper revealed Sunday that he has been diagnosed with throat cancer.
Kuiper is getting treatment and will miss some upcoming games, but he plans to be in the booth next weekend with Krukow for their final series together.
“I was recently diagnosed with throat cancer and began treatment last week with my doctors at Stanford Medicine,” Kuiper said in a statement released by the Giants. “This cancer is unrelated to the one I experienced five years ago, and I’m optimistic that it will be successfully treated. I’ll miss the broadcasts tomorrow and Wednesday as I continue treatment, but I’m looking forward to returning Tuesday and this weekend to celebrate my partner, Mike Krukow, and his remarkable career as he calls his final game before retirement. I’m incredibly grateful for the care I’m receiving and for the tremendous support from my family, the Giants organization, my broadcast partners and so many others.”
Kuiper, 76, missed this weekend’s series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Jon Miller and Dave Flemming filling in. He has long planned to be back next weekend, when he and Krukow, his broadcast partner and closest friend, will call games against the Dodgers for the final time.
It will be the end of a 36-year run for Krukow, who announced last month that he is retiring because his long battle with inclusion body myositis has made it difficult to continue to keep up with the physical demands of the job.
Kuiper, who underwent chemotherapy in 2021, has said that he intends to keep calling games beyond this season.
California will choose a new governor to replace Gavin Newsom, who terms out after this year. The choices are Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton.
Voters will decide 14 state propositions.
Regional sales tax Measure RTM, the Connect Bay Area Transit Initiative, aims to increase funds for public transit.
California’s Congressional District 11 race features Scott Wiener and Connie Chan competing to succeed Nancy Pelosi.
Aisha Wahab and Melissa Hernandez will face off again after a special election in August where Wahab secured victory to serve the remainder of former California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term.
All 80 California Assembly seats are up for reelection, as well as 20 Senate seats.
California’s general election is Nov. 3, with statewide races and propositions as well as key local races and measures across the Bay Area. Here’s what you need to know to cast your ballot, including important dates and deadlines, how to register or check your status, where and when to vote, and what’s on the ballot.
Key election dates
The last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 general election is Oct. 19.
County election officials will start mailing ballots by Oct. 5.
Ballot drop-off locations open on Oct. 6
Last day to register to vote for the general election is Oct. 19.
First vote centers open for early in-person voting in all Voter’s Choice Act counties on Oct. 24.
In person early voting locations in the state open on Oct. 31.
Election Day, Nov. 3, is the last day to vote in-person or return a ballot by 8 p.m.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 3.
If mailing on election day, get a hand-stamped postmark from a postal employee inside a post office.
Voters can also visit their county elections office for more information. Scroll down to the Bay Area county election offices section of this guide for further contact information.
What to bring to your polling place
Voters usually are not required to show identification to a polling place worker before casting a ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
There are some instances when providing identification is required:
Voting for the first time after registering to vote by mail and did not provide a driver license number
California identification number or the last four digits of social security number are missing on registration form
In these cases voters should plan to bring identification to a polling place or bring a copy of it with their vote-by-mail ballot.
The Secretary of State says the following are acceptable forms of identification:
Passport
Driver license
Official state identification card
Student identification card
Copy of recent utility bill
Sample ballot booklet received from county elections office
Any document received by a government agency
How to track your mail-in ballot
Voters can track their vote-by-mail ballot and confirm it has been received by using the state’s Where’s My Ballot? tool at california.ballottrax.net/voter/. Ballots mailed in may take a few days to appear on the website.
Why is California choosing a new governor?
Gov. Gavin Newsom terms out after this year and voters will choose between Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, who both advanced to the general election after a wild primary.
Becerra has served as former President Joe Biden’s top health official and oversaw the response to the coronavirus pandemic. He was also the California’s attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and has more than two decades of experience as a congressmember.
Hilton was a conservative commentator with a show on Fox News for six years. He also worked as an adviser to former British prime minister David Cameron.
What are the 14 California propositions voters will decide in the November election?
Proposition 3: Provides permanent funding for schools and healthcare by extending existing tax on high incomes
Proposition 4: Repeals prohibition against public funding of election campaigns.
Proposition 5: Changes recall election process for statewide officers.
Proposition 37: Creates loan program for middle-income buyers of qualified new homes.
Proposition 38: Authorizes bonds for immunology medical research.
Proposition 39: Prohibits citizens from voting unless they present government-issued identification.
Proposition 40: Imposes one-time tax on certain taxpayers.
Proposition 41: Prohibits new state taxes that exclude revenues from state spending limit. Requires audits for new state special taxes.
Proposition 42: Prohibits new state personal property taxes and certain retroactive state taxes.
Proposition 43: Limits voters’ ability to raise revenues for local government services.
Proposition 44: Requires community health clinics spend 90% of revenue on program services.
Proposition 45: Modifies environmental review for certain projects.
Regional measure to watch
Measure RTM: The Connect Bay Area Transit Initiative, is a regional sales tax aimed at increasing funds for public transit. It includes 5 Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.
Races and measures to watch in Alameda County
California Congressional District 14: California lawmaker Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Melissa Hernandez will face off again to determine who will serve the next full two-year term.
Wahab topped Hernandez in an August special election to serve the remainder of former California U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s term. Swalwell resigned from Congress earlier this year after sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
District 14 includes the East Bay cities such as Fremont, Hayward and Livermore.
Measure X in Berkeley: Would establish 10% limit on annual rent increases and other changes to the city’s rent ordinance.
Measure EE in Oakland: Shift city to a strong mayor system.
Measure FF in Oakland: Eliminate foreclosure exemption from property transfer tax.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Alameda County and additional election information, visit the Alameda County Elections website.
Races and measures to watch in Contra Costa County
In Contra Costa County, several county board of education seats are open. In Richmond, residents will vote on a new mayor while voters in San Pablo will weigh in on Measure S, which would limit rent increases.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Contra Costa County and additional election information, visit the Contra Costa County Elections website.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Napa County and additional election information, visit the Napa County Elections website.
Races and measures to watch in San Francisco
San Francisco voters will weigh in on several open seats on the county board of supervisors and board of education.
Proposition A: Give mayor more power to hire and fire department heads.
For a complete list of San Mateo County measures and races on the ballot, visit smacre.gov/elections.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in San Mateo County and additional election information, visit the San Mateo County Elections website.
Races and measures to watch in Santa Clara County
In San Jose, incumbents Peter Ortiz and Bien Doan are up for re-election in Districts 5 and 7, respectively, and there’s an open seat in District 9.
Races and measures to watch in Solano County
Solano County Board of Supervisors, District 4: Mike Silva and John Carli face in a runoff in a district covering Vacaville and Dixon.
Measure E in Solano County: New tax on data centers and battery storage facilities in the unincorporated county areas.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Solano County and additional election information, visit the Solano County Registrar of Voters website.
State Assembly District 12: Eric Lucan and Jackie Elward compete in a battle between business and labor.
🗳️ For a complete list of races and measures on the ballot in Sonoma County and additional election information, visit the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters website.
Bay Area county election offices
Here’s a list of local elections offices and their contact information.
Part 1: The Wound, Enthroned “Know thyself”—the timeless injunction of Socrates, father of the Western wisdom tradition, to his students. Science Fiction I exhaled. The session had taken the afternoon. I had read the output, critiqued it, resubmitted it to my AI therapy-bot for reprocessing. And now the work was done. The document it produced […]
Dream Youth Clinic occupies a small, gray building in Oakland right off I-980. Colorful murals and a spattering of posters cover its interior, creating a space that welcomes youth affected by sex trafficking. “We try to make young people feel reflected in the posters,” says Amanda Brown, director of operations at the clinic. She points […]
